Saa, me o tojite
by GloomyBumblebee
Summary: Daisuke thinks of Dark in a very particular way. But what would happen if Dark felt the same way about him?
1. Chapter 1: On a dark, dark night

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Title: Saa, me o tojite  
**Author:** Gloomy Bumblebee  
**Genre:** Shounen-ai  
**Subgenre:** Angst/Romance   
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Pairing:** DaisukexDark   
**Summary:** Daisuke thinks of Dark in a very particular way. But what happens when Dark feels the same way about him?  
**Note:** /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics_  
**A/N:** Here goes the first chapter of my first DNAngel fic. The title means "so, close your eyes" (though nothing is sure) and I took it off Gackt's "Dybbuk". Gackt, to those who don't know, it's a very popular artist from Japan. Now, this fic is rather weird... mainly because of the pairing; let's face it, there's not enough DaixDark fics on the net... I just had to go and write my own. Anyway, here it goes.  
  
-o-o-o-

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Saa, me o tojite._  
Chapter 1: On a dark, dark night._

  
  
Daisuke woke up with a start. He was sweating and panting heavily; his heart seemed to be racing at the speed of light. Something had troubled him in his sleep and he couldn't quite remember what it was. He thought it had to have something to do with Krad, who usually taunted him at night, but he was sure that wasn't the case. In fact, he could now recall, after having relaxed a bit, black feathers blurring his vision.  
  
/Then it had to be Dark.../ he thought, without realising someone might overhear him.  
  
_What did I do?_ asked a sleepy Dark, to a coy Daisuke.  
  
/Nothing, it was just... a dream I had... Krad was in it too,/ he lied, aware that he was absolutely sure there was no Krad in that dream; otherwise it would have been a nightmare. But anyway, he didn't want Dark to know exactly what the dream was, or even to suspect; that could be disastrous.  
  
_Okay... I should go back sleep, then._  
  
/Yes, go ahead... I'm going to have a glass of water or something and then I'll go to sleep as well,/ Daisuke assured him. So, Dark hid himself in the depths of Daisuke's mind, while the boy rose from the bed.  
  
Daisuke's feet didn't led him to the kitchen, though. He walked in a straight line to the far end of his room where the window was. He stared at the stars glowing brightly in the sky as he sat on the windowsill. He pondered on what little he remembered from the dream and remained quiet and calm, something that was unusual of him in this kind of situation. But, what was the situation?  
  
_A kiss...  
Black wings..._  
  
He didn't remember in detail what he'd dreamt, but he remembered enough to make a conclusion: Dark had kissed him in his dream. There was no other possible explanation. Dark had kissed him, and even if it was just a dream, it had seemed so real... and yet, it didn't bother him as much as it should. Daisuke then wondered if, maybe, he wasn't just accustomed to Dark's presence so that something like a kiss -in a dream- wouldn't seem important. But then again, Riku's kisses in his dreams had always been a cause of panic and nervousness. And he wasn't dreaming of her to begin with; in fact, he wasn't even dreaming with a girl and that is what made him wonder why he was so calm.  
  
/Could it be...?/  
  
But he never finished the sentence. Instead he shook his head and sighed. /Maybe I should stop thinking about him.../  
  
But he couldn't.  
  
/I can't seem to get him out of my head. He's become such an important part of myself that I can't even image my life without him./  
  
And then it struck him, as it had happened a few times before. Only now, the question seemed to hurt a lot more than it had before.  
  
/What will I do when he's not here anymore?/  
  
And he had no answers to that question; only more and more inquiries, more doubt, more pain. More emptiness, settling deeper in his heart. There is one thing he knew for sure, though.  
  
/I don't want him to go./  
  
He never did and he never would. But he knew that, inevitably, someday Dark would have to go. It had happened before for generations and generations of Niwas, why would that change now? Which were the possibilities? There were very little -if any at all-, that much he could guess, but it only made him feel worse.  
  
But why /why?/ did he feel so bad? It had never bothered him so badly before, why was that changing? Why did he suddenly want to cry? Why did he feel so helpless? Why...?  
  
Why was he thinking so much about Dark?  
  
-o-  
  
_...why can't you feel me?_  
  
-o-  
  
Emiko waltzed into Daisuke's room. He nudged her son lightly on his shoulder, but got no response. 'Good,' she thought. "I need to speak to you, Dark."  
  
She witnessed as Daisuke's body got larger and bigger, his hair and eyes changing colour... until Dark Mousy was in front of her eyes. He couldn't stop a smile from making its way to her lips, making Dark roll his eyes. "What is it?"  
  
"How rude," she said half-heartedly. "It is very important that you don't let Daisuke hear this conversation, Dark, it could affect him dearly."  
  
Dark was slightly worried, but he nodded and pushed the sleeping Daisuke into the darkest end of his being. He then jumped off the bed and rested himself on the wardrobe's door. "Speak."  
  
"Seriously, Dark, you need to be a little more polite..." at Dark's glare, she snickered nervously, before changing her expression. It took only a second for her eyes to darken and her face to become serious and when it did, it made Dark uneasy, almost fearing what would be said any minute.  
  
"Today's Wednesday." Dark nodded, repressing the urge to say something sarcastic. "Well, next Friday, I mean, this Friday..."  
  
"Emiko, please, what happens this Friday?" asked Dark to Daisuke's mother, trying not to sound too worried.  
  
"The last work of art of the Hikari family, the Curse of the Twilight... you have to steal it."  
  
Once the words left her mouth, Dark felt the need to burst out laughing. Surely it couldn't be that bad, could it? He would only have to do his job, as usual. But it is always better to ask _just in case_ and so he did.  
  
"So? What is the problem?"  
  
"That," Emiko pointed out, "is exactly the problem. Nor I or anyone knows what will happen to you once the pendant is stolen. It is said to have a curse to it -a real one, Dark, like the one that cursed you- but we don't know what it does or how it works. We know nothing and yet we cannot stop you from getting it. We don't know either what will happen to that boy, Satoshi, the last Hikari, once you get the pendant. What if Krad appears? What if he knows how to use the curse of the Twilight in his benefit? What if...?"  
  
"Enough of 'what ifs', Emiko. What is your point with all of this. What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Well," Emiko lowered her gaze to the floor. "I don't want you to be in danger, but it is your job to steal the pendant and we can't stop you from doing what you must. But still... I don't know what will happen to Daisuke either and I'm worried about him. And... I want you to explain this yourself, that's why I didn't want him to hear anything."  
  
"Why?" The question might seem incoherent, but it made sense to Emiko, who answered truthfully.  
  
"Because... I know he cares for you. He always has... and I don't know what he will do if he lost you."  
  
Dark went speechless. Emiko left the room without another word and he went back to bed. He let Daisuke's body take his place once again and he locked himself inside his own to think.  
  
"_... he cares for you..._"  
  
Could it be...?  
  
-o-o-o-  
  
_Ah! The first chapter is done. It's rather short, but I liked it. Please, leave a review and let me know what you think of it. See you on the next update! (only Kami-sama knows when that will be... --")_


	2. Chapter 2: Whispers

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Note: /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics_  
  
-o-o-o-

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Saa, me o tojite._  
Chapter 2: Whispers._

  
  
_Could it be...?_  
  
Dark had long been thinking of the possibilities, but he never truly understood why. Perhaps it was the large amount of time he had on his own, perhaps it was the life he carried for generations and generations of Niwas, perhaps he was just bored. Or perhaps, there was something inside him, something secret even to himself; something unknown that didn't want to remain hidden anymore.  
  
/...love...?/  
  
_Yes, maybe... maybe..._  
  
/...love.../  
  
_Daisuke's thoughts_  
  
/...is it.../  
  
_Why can I hear his thoughts?_  
  
/...something hidden.../  
  
_...maybe... he's the one hearing my thoughts? No, that can't be..._  
  
/...so... dark.../  
  
...  
  
-o-  
  
Satoshi Hiwatari was standing at the Niwas' residence with a frown on his face. Niwa hadn't been to classes and he was worried, even though he wasn't keen on admitting it, not even to himself. Nevertheless, he was waiting by the door for the boy to show up and maybe, spend some time with him.   
  
The truth is, Satoshi and Daisuke had become quite close. It, of course, made matters worse for both kids, since their counterparts were always after the other's neck and the boys were always struggling to stop them. But it was still nice to have someone to talk to, Satoshi thought, even though each day was proving to be even more insufferable than the last.  
  
But back to the topic at hand, Satoshi was worried. Worried not only because Daisuke had skipped classes, but also because of what he knew was going to happen on Friday. He wasn't sure if the boy knew anything at all, he supposed he might, but his counterpart had to and maybe he suspected something was wrong. Maybe he was just ill, Satoshi didn't know, but he wouldn't be jumping to conclusions until Daisuke had had a word with him.  
  
And there he was, looking strangely upset, though he tried to disguise it with a smile. An uncomfortable grin that let Satoshi know that something was definitely wrong. "Good afternoon, Ni- Daisuke." He wasn't still accustomed to the boy's name, it somehow felt awkward coming from his mouth. The boy greeted him back and let him enter his home. Satoshi followed him to his room, where they sat at the unmade bed; he looked around, taking in the details around him. He'd never been to Daisuke's house before. Everything seemed so... cosy; so tidy and immaculate. But Daisuke's room... it felt like a gust of fresh air, in comparison to the rest of the house.  
  
"I wonder..." Satoshi said, looking into the boy's empty eyes, "what it is that is keeping you worried."  
  
Daisuke forced a small smile. "You wouldn't understand, Satoshi-kun. No one would." He wished Dark was asleep. He was sure Satoshi would try and find out what was in his mind; not out of malice though, but out of worry. He could see him worried about him, but he wasn't sure he could tell him what his problem was.  
  
"Wouldn't you feel better if you, at least, tried to get it off your chest? I'm not going to judge you or anything, Daisuke... chan."  
  
There were two things that got Daisuke off guard. One of them was the use of the suffix "chan". Satoshi must have got used to his presence... maybe he even liked him and considered him a friend. Then, and what not only took him by surprise but also worried him, was that Satoshi had hinted that there was something to judge. An action made by himself, something he did or say or think, that led him to his current state of unhappiness. Daisuke was sure that Satoshi knew what his problem was all about, he just didn't know how.  
  
-o-  
  
"So that's what it is..." Satoshi sighed. "I knew he'd have something to do with it, but I certainly wasn't expecting such thing." Daisuke blushed, what more could he do? "I'm sorry, Daisuke-chan, I don't know how I can help you and I doubt I'll ever be able to, but I can give you an advice. Don't think too much; think what you must and give your mind a rest."  
  
"Thank you, Satoshi-kun. But I doubt I'll be able to put your advice into practice... I'm sure you'll understand why."  
  
Satoshi nodded and got off the bed and onto his feet. "Well, it has been nice talking to you, Daisuke-chan, but I have a lot of work to do, I hope you don't mind..."  
  
"No, it's okay," Daisuke interrupted him. "I'll see you tomorrow at school. And besides... I have something to discuss with, you know..."  
  
Satoshi's eyes widened. He then shook his head and looked at the redhead in a funny way. "Surely you don't mean to..."  
  
"No!" Daisuke exclaimed, waving his arms frantically. "It's just that... he's been oddly quiet today and I'm sure there's something wrong with him; I can sense it."  
  
"Then I hope you are mistaken."  
  
Daisuke smiled at Satoshi and the boy flashed a sinister grin in his direction. "You know, Daisuke-chan, I really don't know how, but you always manage to make my job harder and harder everyday..."  
  
-o-  
  
Dark had been thinking and rethinking over and over again throughout the entire day. He didn't even know Hiwatari had been with Daisuke or what the two had talked about. But he, himself, had something very important to discuss with Daisuke. The problem was, he didn't know how. And just when he had decided to face the music and dance, Emiko had once again waltzed into Daisuke's room uninvited.  
  
"Daisuke-chan, haven't I warned you about that boy?" she asked her son, obviously referring to Satoshi. "You know how dangerous it is for you to hang around him, why don't you-"  
  
"I know, mum. I know."  
  
Emiko didn't know what else to say. Daisuke was looking even more miserable than before Satoshi's arrival and that made her think that the boy had done something to him. Or, perhaps, Dark had told him about the Curse of the Twilight. But she couldn't ask him; not without talking to Dark first and she wasn't going to do it now. Instead, she hoped it had something to do with Satoshi; maybe they had an argument or something. She hoped that was it; even if it would hurt Daisuke, it would be for the best.  
  
"Daisuke..." she said in an almost inaudible voice. Then she said no more; she just walked out of the room, leaving Daisuke alone. Although not entirely...  
  
_So... creepy bastard was here?_  
  
/Um.../ Daisuke wasn't quite sure of what to say. Had Dark heard his conversation with Satoshi? Perhaps he had been quiet only to find the right moment to speak. But then again, why would he have kept quiet and distant? How was he to know what would be discussed with Satoshi? Definitely, he was just thinking incoherently again... he should take Satoshi's advice. It had been a day and a half since he had the dream and all he seemed to do was think of...   
  
_Hello?_  
  
/Nani?/  
  
_I was asking if creepy bastard was here. I just woke up and heard Emiko talking to you about it. She also seemed to be very worried about you._  
  
/Oh,/ Daisuke sighed with relief. /It's nothing, really. I just... wasn't feeling very well today, so I skipped classes. That's why Satoshi-kun was here./  
  
_Um... are you sure he didn't do anything to you? I could go and rip him to shreds if you wanted me to..._ Dark sounded worried. He knew it didn't have anything to do with Satoshi, but... after hearing some of Daisuke's thoughts and seeing the state in which the poor kid was... No, that couldn't be.... could it?  
  
/Dark?/  
  
_Yes, Daisuke?_  
  
/I was wondering... are you alright?/  
  
The question took Dark by surprise. He didn't know what Daisuke was talking about -if he was referring to anything in particular- or why he was asking. It just felt odd to hear those words from him. He wasn't sure he'd ever heard him speak those words to him before; or anyone for that matter. No one ever seemed to care about him; not that he remembered, at least. Then... what could he say?  
  
_I'm... I don't know,_ he answered sincerely. He truly didn't. Whenever he thought about Friday's task and the object of his mission he felt uneasy, even worried. And now, after joining the dots, he'd daresay he was a little upset, too. Then... what could he say to him? He could not explain what he was feeling, not to him and not even to himself. _Why do you ask?_ he managed after a while. If he didn't know what to say, he might as well try to change the subject.  
  
/It's just that you've been so quiet today. You're never this quiet. It's something bothering you?/  
  
Daisuke. Innocent Daisuke. How would he react to the news? Should he tell him about the Curse of the Twilight? Emiko had certainly asked him to do it, but he wasn't sure he was ready. Daisuke didn't seem ready either, specially if he was in such a bad condition. Dark decided to wait until the next day and try to make Daisuke a little happier in what remained of the afternoon. How was he going to do it when he himself was in a weird mood is a completely different subject.  
  
_No, not really, I'm just a little tired these days. And since Krad has been unusually quiet as of lately, I thought I might take a sort of vacation._  
  
Daisuke snickered inwardly, which was heard by Dark. He was a little more relieved to hear him say that, but he still wasn't a hundred per cent sure he was honest. He had a feeling he wasn't, but anyway, he cast the worries aside and decided to forget about his current predicament for the time being. Instead, he turned to Dark once again, finally voicing his concern to try and put a stop to it.  
  
/Dark?/  
  
_Yes, Daisuke?_  
  
/I really don't know how you're feeling but... I hope you're alright./  
  
There was an awkward silence before Dark spoke again, smiling to himself.  
  
_I'll be fine. And so will you._  
  
/We'll both be fine./  
  
-o-  
  
On Thursday, Daisuke woke up feeling a lot better than he had the previous day. Even if his little chat with Dark hadn't been exactly helpful, at least it made him -both of them, actually- feel less worried. Daisuke was feeling good enough to return to school and Dark was not as quiet, having greeted him in the morning and chatting with him while he got dressed. Now, while Daisuke went to school, Dark would be able to literally sit and think, everything he had to. He still wasn't sure he had joined the dots correctly and so he needed time to himself to clear his mind. Not only when it came to his suspicions, but also about tomorrow's task. Something he was both looking forward to and dreading to do.  
  
And he still hadn't told Daisuke a single thing.  
  
_I still have time,_ he said to himself, _I'll tell him later.  
_  
Or so he hoped.  
  
-o-  
  
Daisuke had been extremely busy that day. His teachers had given him lots of homework to do and a group task that he had to carry out with Satoshi and Takeshi for the next day. That is why, together the three of them went to the Hikari's apartment.  
  
"So..." Takeshi said nonchalantly as he made his way to Satoshi's kitchen. "Do any of you know what Dark is after, this time?"  
  
Satoshi knew. Oh, yes, he did. But what about Daisuke? Surely by now he must know something...  
  
"He announced his appearance for nine o-clock. He said he would be at the Hikari's Ancient Home, you know, the one that used to work as a museum but then closed. What I don't know -because he never mentioned it- is what he's going to steal." Takeshi frowned as he rummaged through the kitchen's cabinets. "Now that I think about it... It's the first time Dark keeps his target in secrecy."  
  
"Perhaps," Satoshi interrupted him and turned to look at Daisuke with a frown of his own. "Perhaps, he doesn't know what his target is."  
  
"No," Takeshi dismissed him, "he always knows. I think he's keeping it a secret so the police forces won't know what to do or even where to stand."  
  
"Why would he do that?" asked Daisuke, more wondering to himself than he had intended it to be a question to voice aloud. "He never had any trouble with the police forces... or anyone, really. He doesn't need to do that. What if Satoshi is right? What if he really doesn't know what his target is?"  
  
"Daisuke..." Takeshi approached him with a bowl full of rice. "Are you okay? Why don't you eat something? You look rather pale..."  
  
"No, thanks, I- I'm okay. I was just thinking, that's all. Let's get started with our assignment, alright?"  
  
Both Takeshi and Satoshi nodded and so they started working. Or rather Takeshi and Satoshi worked as Daisuke fumbled with the pencil in his hand... "Daisuke..." Takeshi's voice interrupted his train of thought once again. "I think you should go home, you're not looking good at all and I think that by remaining here you'll only get worse. We'll finish the questionnaire and tell the professor you did it with us. Right, Hiwatari?"  
  
The boy nodded and Daisuke took it as his cue to leave. He couldn't help but be grateful to the boys that had let him go without any questions, as if all that mattered was his wellbeing. He also couldn't help feeling a little touched about it, and so he left before he could say or do anything stupid as he thought he would.  
  
On his way home, however, Daisuke couldn't help but feel enraged, upset, sad, scared and a million different things he couldn't explain. He was also exhausted, tired of calling Dark and getting no answers. Tired of screaming his insides out, tired of being ignored. It was so painful and he was feeling so weak...  
  
Before he could stop himself, Daisuke collapsed into the floor with a loud thump. Fortunately, the fall served to awake a certain someone who had been so busy hiding himself in the shadows that hadn't heard the screaming and the pain coursing through every bit of Daisuke's body.  
  
_Daisuke?_ Dark asked, calling the boy to be assured of his wellbeing_. Daisuke!_ he called again, this time louder and more nervously.   
  
_DAISUKE!_  
  
Dark yelled one last time, once again getting no response. And so, as he didn't know what had happened to him and he certainly didn't want the boy to be in any danger, he made sure there was no one around to see him and transformed Daisuke's body into his. He realised he was only a block from the Niwas' and so he run those last meters, angry with himself for being so stupid. He knew Daisuke wasn't feeling well, why didn't he stay close to him? That way he could have helped sooner... What if Daisuke needed him, but he didn't listen? He cursed to himself over and over as he looked for the keys. The Niwas' locks were something not even he could manage, specially now in his state of nervousness.  
  
He fumbled through all of Daisuke's pockets, muttering apologies as he did so, until he found what he was looking for and opened the door. Forgetting about everything, just as his foot crossed the doorway, he fell in a trap.  
  
Emiko came rushing in to scold Daisuke for being so careless, only to stare with her eyes wide and her mouth agape at "Dark?"  
  
-o-o-o-__

Hehe, this chapter was longer... yay! I feel so proud of myself. I hope you liked it as much I did. I don't know why, I just did. Everything is taking shape... will I be able to keep this decent? Oh... who knows...?  
Reviews are my ego's favourite food.


	3. Chapter 3: Touched

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Note: /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics_  
  
-o-o-o-

****

Saa, me o tojite._  
Chapter 3: Touched._

  
  
_Daisuke..._  
  
"Dark?"  
  
Emiko helped Dark escape the trap he had fallen into. She kept asking him what was wrong and muttering how she'd have never imagined something like that could happen to him of all people. Dark kept telling her to shut up, but she wouldn't listen so, once he got out of the trap, he simply fled into Daisuke's room and lay on the bed. Once again he felt his body transforming into Daisuke's and he let him rest.   
  
When Emiko entered the room, she found her son sleeping with a worried look on his face; a look that hid a lot of pain. She called Dark in an angry voice, demanding to know what had happened and why her son was in such a bad state. After a while, which only served to make her even more worried, Dark appeared before her, trying to avoid her gaze and looking pitifully guilty.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"You've been asking the same thing over and over."  
  
"I wouldn't have done it if you had told me what on Earth was the problem!" Emiko snapped at the annoyed man before her. "What happened to Daisuke? Why are you looking like that? Did you have a fight? What did you do?"  
  
"SHUT UP!" Dark yelled, leaving Emiko petrified with disbelief. How could he raise his voice to her? How could he be so insufferable, when all she wanted was to know what had happened to her son?  
  
The door opened and Kosuke stepped inside the room. "What is the yelling all about? he asked, before settling his gaze on Dark and instantly knowing there was something wrong. "What happened?"  
  
"You don't have a large vocabulary, don't you?" Dark asked ironically, earning a glare from Kosuke. Emiko was still quiet not knowing what to do or say; she was so worried about Daisuke that she didn't want to upset Dark anymore for fear of what he would do.  
  
"Dark," Kosuke addressed the thief in a quiet voice that let him know he couldn't joke anymore, "what happened? Why are you up this early and why are you here to begin with? I thought Daisuke had work to do this afternoon, what are you doing here?"  
  
Dark sighed and finally turned to look into Kosuke's eyes. "Daisuke wasn't feeling very well," he said, "and he fainted. I guess..."  
  
"What do you mean 'I guess'? Don't you know what happened?" Those were the first words Emiko had said in a while.  
  
"No, I don't know. The only thing I know was what I already told you. I don't know why he was feeling so bad or why he fainted. I woke up when he fell to the ground and then transformed into, well, myself and brought us here so he could rest. That's it, end of story."  
  
"Wait..." Kosuke said carefully, going red in the face with repressed anger. "You transformed in broad daylight, in the middle of a street?" Dark nodded, he didn't know what else to do. "Are you insane?! You could have been seen!! It would have been the end of the secret, someone might have seen you and what would you do then?"  
  
"What a nice parent are you..." Dark said, being ironical again and starting to lose his already short temper again. "Why do you care if I were seen or not?! What did you want me to do, leave Daisuke lying on the street?"  
  
Both Kosuke and Emiko went speechless. Kosuke hadn't meant to say something like that, but he realised he had certainly implied it. Admitting he was wrong, he raised his voice once again and quietly, in a very soft, almost pleading tone, he said "I'm sorry, Dark, and... thank you."  
  
Finally, Dark looked him in the eyes and, after a short moment, he nodded. "That's okay. Now, I'll just let Daisuke sleep. You should prepare something for him to eat and something warm to drink, I think it'll be enough." He snorted with uncomfortable laughter, before adding, "though I'm not exactly an expert on medicine, am I?"  
  
That was the last thing he said before he transformed his body one more time into Daisuke's. Emiko and Kosuke stared at their son's body and the expression on his face for a while, studying it and secretly trying to decipher what might be wrong with him, before turning away and leaving the room.  
  
/Dark?/  
  
_Daisuke?_ Dark asked for reassurance. He had never been so glad to hear him speak.  
  
/Yes. Um... thank you for bringing me here./  
  
_That's okay... Are you alright?_  
  
/No, not really. Dark, I... while I was at Satoshi's... Takeshi said something about you. Something about tomorrow's task./  
  
_Oh._ Dark felt his spirits sink. _What did he say?_  
  
/He said... this was the first time you didn't mention what you were planning on stealing. And then, Satoshi-kun, he said that, maybe, you didn't know what you are going to steal./ Daisuke felt that all too familiar pain coming back to him. He now realised it wasn't only worry, but also disappointment; he vaguely suspected Dark didn't really trust him and that made him feel even worse. /Is that true, Dark? Do you not know what you're after this time?/ He needed Dark to tell him Satoshi was right. He needed to be reassured of the man's trust in him. He needed...  
  
_No._  
  
The words sank deep into Daisuke's heart and he felt his breath getting caught in his throat. He didn't trust him; Dark was sharing his body but didn't consider him important enough to let him know what he was going to steal, even if it meant risking both of their lives. Dark didn't trust him.  
  
_No, it's not true._ Daisuke heard him speak again. He sounded guilty and sad, but Daisuke couldn't understand why. After all, if there was someone who should feel sad, it was definitely him; he felt betrayed. _I do know what I have to steal,_ Dark carried on with his confession. _But I think this is not the time to be talking about that. Not with you, Daisuke-chan, feeling so weak. Rest your body, sleep; we'll talk when you're better._  
  
Then Dark disappeared into the deepest, most obscure recesses of Daisuke's mind. The redheaded boy, seeing he wouldn't get any more answers from Dark, did as he was told. And so, he turned into his left side, curled into a tiny ball and slept.   
  
-o-  
  
That night, Dark took control over Daisuke's body and forced it to change into his once more. He then flung his legs over the bed and stood up, stretching his limbs lazily. He made his way to the closet, from where he picked a few clothing items to cover his body with before he went for a walk.  
  
With each passing day, he was feeling more and more nervous and anxious. He thought about his conversation with Daisuke and frowned. He did know what he was after, but he had absolutely no idea of what exactly that was. And he didn't even want to dwell on the magical abilities of that creation and what they might do to him, or even more importantly, to Daisuke. He couldn't see the point of trying to get hold of a cursed artefact, or whatever it was, when only the act of trying could have catastrophic consequences.  
  
/...stupid!/  
  
Dark frowned again, this time in confusion. Daisuke was awake was again and cursing; he had a vague feeling that word was intended to describe him. But then again, if Daisuke was angry with him, he couldn't quite blame him; he hadn't lied to him, but he didn't say anything either and that was just as bad.  
  
/...he doesn't... trust... after all.../  
  
_He's thinking too loudly, almost as if he were shouting._ Dark noticed with a pained expression, _he must be really angry. What is he thinking about, I wonder. Trust... does he think I don't trust him for not telling him about tomorrow's... no, he's not stupid; he knows I trust him with all my secrets, well, almost. Is that why he's angry, then? Just because he thinks I don't trust him?_  
  
He didn't know he had that much of an impact on Daisuke's life; he had never imagined he could anger the boy so much for just a silly mistake. But it really wasn't that Dark didn't trust Daisuke; it was himself he didn't trust. He didn't know how he would explain things to the boy and if he ever managed to do it, he didn't know in which ways he could mess everything up, making things a lot more complicated. But it usually worked like that with those things someone ignores or doesn't understand, and he wasn't any different.  
  
He yawned. The air around him was getting colder and colder every minute and he was too tired to keep on walking. Daisuke must have gone to sleep again, because Dark had long stopped hearing his thoughts or even feeling his presence. Sighing and deciding to think things over in the morning or sometime during the day, he dragged his body home. Once there, he stripped off his clothes and lay on the bed, covering himself with the soft, warm blankets and drifting off to sleep, forgetting to even change his body back into Daisuke's.  
  
-o-  
  
It was now Friday morning. A pair or dull, tired eyes opened lazily to take in the morning rays of sunshine. Dark stretched his limbs and made purring noises, almost like a cat, before turning on his side and closing his eyes again. He could always sleep as much as he wanted, but somehow, the feeling of lying on a soft mattress and being covered with fluffy blankets was an exquisite pleasure to him. He wondered when was the last time he had slept on a bed instead of the cold, dark pits of someone's mind.  
  
And speaking about someone's mind, or rather someone... he hadn't felt Daisuke's presence not even once during the whole night. He would have been worried had he not spoken with the boy the day before. And besides, he knew Daisuke could never leave him. Not without help, at least.  
  
Dark opened his eyes once again and looked to his right at the clock on the nightstand. It was already midday. His mouth hung open, he couldn't believe he had overslept so much. Apparently Emiko had decided Daisuke wasn't apt for going to school that day. Dark couldn't agree more and, to be honest with himself, he couldn't be gladder either.   
  
But still... yes, he checked on the calendar by the clock. It was, indeed, Friday. He would have to steal the Curse of the Twilight at night and he was worried. With a bitter snicker, he thought he had never been worried about so many things before.  
  
_Perhaps I'm going soft..._  
  
Back to the topic at hand, Dark was worried. Not only because he still had no idea what the Curse did and it unnerved him, but also because he hadn't said a single thing to Daisuke. If he was nervous, he didn't want to imagine how Daisuke felt, having no idea whatsoever of what he was going to steal that night.   
  
But still, Dark had made up his mind once and for all. He didn't care about the curse within the Curse or anything it could do to him or Daisuke, well he did actually, but he didn't mind enough to bother Daisuke with uncertain explanations. He thought the boy was bad enough without having to worry about a stupid, cursed artefact.  
  
But would Daisuke understand why he hadn't said anything, or was he about to make things even more complicated between them? He shook his head mentally, dismissing the idea. He didn't think it would. He was just saving him the trouble of fearing for something that is as safe as it is dangerous. And anyway, if everything went as planned -that meaning they would both come out alive-, he would explain everything he needed to Daisuke. He was a good listener and a kind person; he would understand. There were so many things Dark wanted him to understand...  
  
-o-o-o-_Nyahahaaa! I decided to leave it at that. Hehe, I like this story; I thoroughly enjoy writing it. It's my favourite up to date and I haven't even completed it! Aaaanyway, got off track... I hope you like it and if you do, please leave a review!! Next chapter should be up soon, so stay tuned... or logged... or whatever.  
By the way, are you all okay with the way Dark's thoughts look? It's just that I didn't know what else to do about it._


	4. Chapter 4: Something out of the ordinary

Note: /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics_  
  
-o-o-o-

****

Saa, me o tojite._  
Chapter 4: Something out of the ordinary._

  
  
/Dark?/  
  
Dark woke up from his daydreaming to find Daisuke calling him. It was half past one after midday and they were still in the bed. He briefly wondered if they would get up at all. But then of course, he remembered once again that he had no other choice.  
  
_Daisuke... how are you feeling?_ He didn't know what else to say; that was the only thing he could think of at the moment. He was happy, to say the least, to hear the boy speaking. It had been the first thing he'd heard from him since last night's involuntarily loud thoughts...  
  
/I'm fine, I guess. Dark,/ Daisuke paused in deep thought; Dark feared the worst. /Is now the time?/  
  
Dark snickered, how could have he forgotten? He had promised Daisuke he would speak with him. The problem was that he had promised himself he wouldn't say a word. He was torn between two promises and he didn't know which one to keep. If he told Daisuke about the Curse of the Twilight, he'd make the boy worry, but if he said nothing he'd make him sad. Either way Daisuke would suffer. So, what could he do?  
  
He decided he could keep a bit of both promises. He would tell Daisuke just what he was going to steal and that he didn't really know what it was. He thought it would be best that way... Daisuke would be pleased that he confided in him but he wouldn't have major reasons to fear or worry; he'd probably think the Curse was one of those magical objects that change shapes and that would be the end of it. Or that was what he hoped for.  
  
_I think... that is up to you to decide whether is time for us to talk or not._  
  
Daisuke groaned inwardly in frustration; he wanted to know and he wanted it now. /I think it is./ He then remembered why Dark hadn't wanted to talk the night before. He had said he was too weak and that he had to rest; perhaps that was what he wanted to hear about. /I'm feeling fine, I already told you. I just want to know what you're hiding./  
  
_..._  
  
/Please, Dark./  
  
The pleading tone in Daisuke's voice, sounding almost desperate, convinced Dark that it would be best if he spoke then. _Okay,_ he sighed. _What Satoshi Hiwatari implied is both right and wrong._ Daisuke groaned once again and ran his hands through his hair, he couldn't stand Dark talking in riddles. But fortunately for him, said person was going to explain what he meant.  
  
_It depends on how you look at it. I know what I'm going to steal, everyone does -your mother, your father, even your grandfather-, but I don't know exactly what it is._ By this moment Daisuke was absolutely confused. What did he mean? Did he know what he was going to steal or not? Dark sensed the boy's utter confusion and proceeded to explain in a more graphic way. _I'm going to steal the Curse of the Twilight, Daisuke, but I have absolutely no idea of what the hell that is or what it does._  
  
/Oh./ That was it? That was what he was hiding? Why didn't he tell him sooner, instead of making him worry and think stupid things? Perhaps... perhaps he was embarrassed. No, Dark wouldn't be embarrassed at something so stupid. Then what was the reason for the secrecy? /Why didn't you tell me?/  
  
_I don't know._ Another lie. He couldn't tell Daisuke he didn't want him to worry for it would have exactly that unwanted effect he had tried to avoid.  
  
/Do you think... Satoshi knows what the Curse of the Twilight is?/  
  
_I'm sure he does._  
  
Daisuke didn't say or ask anything else. He just remained silent, staring into the clear, bright sky through the windowpane. And Dark did just the same. Not even a single thought crossed any of the boys' minds, they just willed for time to pass quickly to get things over and done with once and for all.   
  
-o-  
  
"Daisuke?"  
  
The boy looked up from the book he was reading to meet his grandfather's eyes. The old man was trying to look cheerful but was failing pitifully, Daisuke could see it in his eyes; he was worried. Everyone seemed worried these days, he just didn't understand why.  
  
"Hello, Grandpa."  
  
"I wanted to know -I shouldn't be asking you, but- did Dark...?"  
  
"Yes," he answered, suddenly aware of what his grandfather wanted to know. "He told me."  
  
"Oh," though still uncertain, the old man looked rather relieved. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Okay, that's it." Daisuke closed the book with a loud thump and looked up with a glare. He was tired of all the tension surrounding him; it made him uneasy and now, to crown it all, he had his grandfather asking him if he was alright. Why wouldn't he be? Was something else he needed to know that Dark had forgotten -or avoided- to tell him? "Why is everyone looking at me with worried eyes? Why no one tells me what is wrong?"  
  
"Well," those questions certainly took the old man by surprise. "No one really knows what is wrong if something should be. Uncertainty is what we're worried about and, I suppose, we're afraid something might happen to you. But we're probably exaggerating. After all... it's just a work of art, isn't it?"  
  
"I suppose so..." Daisuke didn't seem convinced, but he let the subject drop. All he needed was Dark to do what he usually did and everything would be alright.  
  
"Seriously, Daisuke, we don't want to upset you. We are just worried about you."  
  
Those words again. He was sick of hearing them. And was he was sicker of, was noticing that he was the only one they worried about. No one ever asked about Dark to see how he was feeling, no one ever said they feared for him, no one cared. But he did; he was the only one who did and that made him sad. He had always thought his mother would be worried about Dark since she seemed quite fond of the thief, but not even she looked the least interested.  
  
And Dark, who could hear bits of Daisuke's thoughts, smiled to himself. He smiled because Emiko had been right; Daisuke did care about him. And if Daisuke cared about him, he didn't need anyone else.  
  
-o-  
  
"Daisuke?"  
  
The redheaded boy rolled his eyes in annoyance. /What now.../ he asked himself mentally, making Dark snicker and snickering himself.  
  
"Well," Emiko said with a grin on her face, completely misunderstanding Daisuke's snickers. "It looks as if you're feeling better."  
  
"I've been feeling fine all day," Daisuke explained to her, "I'm just upset. Nothing to worry about, though, you just go and do your things; I'll make sure Dark is ready by half past eight to do his duty." Those last words were said with a hint of irony on Daisuke's part.  
  
Emiko felt her grin being wiped off her lips for a second. Then she smiled once again, pretending she didn't hear and said "I just wanted to ask you if there was anything you needed." Daisuke had the grace to blush, though he still couldn't say he was sorry; he thought all of his family ought to be sorry, not him. "You haven't eaten anything all day, are you sure you don't want anything?"  
  
"No, mom. I'll go down in a while and have tea, though."  
  
"Okay," Emiko nodded, already deciding to prepare his son a hot tea and bringing it to his room. Anything for her beloved son...  
  
The door closed with a click and Daisuke buried himself back in his book. That is, of course, until Dark distracted him with a question.  
  
_What are you so upset about?_  
  
/Nothing important.../  
  
_I'd say is very important if you can be so hostile with your mother._  
  
/Hostile?/ the mere word made Daisuke laugh. He wasn't being hostile, it was just an ironic comment he felt like doing... okay, maybe he shouldn't have treated her mother the way he did, but that was definitely not a hostile behaviour. /I told you, Dark, it's nothing. Go back to sleep, you have work to do tonight./  
  
_But I don't want to sleep, I'm rather enjoying this book._  
  
/Oh, yeah? Then you wouldn't care to tell me what it is about?/ Daisuke didn't believe Dark had been reading with him, he just wanted to talk. Maybe he was bored... he always bothered Daisuke when he was bored.  
  
_Um... you know, I think I'll go back to sleep. God, I hate having to share the body; it gets so lonely and boring sometimes..._  
  
He went to sleep without noticing Daisuke's face freezing with shock. Had he really said those words? Daisuke couldn't remember a single time when he had said anything like that to him. Had he really meant it?  
  
-o-  
  
Finally, the time for the robbery had come. Dark flew down into the highest balcony of the Hikari Ancient Home dressed from head to toes in black leather. He had to look stunning for his big night... it could even be the last, if he was pessimistic, and if he had to die he wanted to be buried dressing pretty clothes. Daisuke cursed him every time he told him that. But, truth be told, if he didn't take it lightly he would probably break down and cry.  
  
Dark walked around dark, abandoned halls, constantly passing by windows with broken panes and mould-eaten curtains. Even though the place was devastated, Dark could tell that in its glory days it had been luxurious. He even whistled in admiration once he reached the room that used to hold each work of art. The columns at the entrance and exit of the room were works of art in themselves. The walls were losing what little colour they had left, but still were visible the paintings adorning them. Scenes of gods and angels lined one of the walls, the other was clear and had a large number of dusty showcases resting on it.  
  
And so, the search begun. Dark sighed as he started rummaging through the showcases, not looking for the Curse of the Twilight, but secret compartments in which the object might have been hidden. He had no idea where the object was; Emiko had told him it was 'somewhere around the place,' but that hadn't been exactly helpful and so, perhaps for the first time in his career, Dark had no idea of what he had to do. But soon he saw it.  
  
"So it was a pendant, then?" He asked Satoshi Hiwatari, the last descendant from the Hikari family, who was holding a silver chain from which hung an oval-shaped medallion of black stone with a bright white diamond in its centre. Perhaps it was its simplicity that made it so special, but Dark thought it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. Daisuke couldn't agree more.  
  
"So it seems," Satoshi answered, momentarily surprised. He walked quietly but determinedly to the nearest window to gaze down into the street. He shook his head, he thought so little about the police forces... he imagined Dark didn't even take them into consideration anymore and had to suppress a snicker. Instead, he kept walking straight in Dark's direction, stopping only inches from him.  
  
"Have you any idea of what this is, Dark?" Satoshi asked seriously, not even the slightest hint of irony in his voice. He sincerely wanted to know...  
  
"I'm not going to lie to you," Dark said, his tone as cold as Satoshi's had been. "I didn't even know what it was, let alone know what it does which is, I presume, what you're referring to."  
  
"Very clever, Dark," Satoshi praised him mockingly. "However, I'd suggest you make your research for next time. You see, I'm not going to let you steal this. Not now. Not before you learn about its magic."  
  
Dark gulped down the lump in his throat. So he had been right from the beginning; there was magic within the Curse of the Twilight. And if Satoshi didn't want him to take it, it was probably because the magic within was dark and dangerous. He had been right to be worried, both his and Daisuke's lives were in danger.  
  
"Why would you care whether I know about it or not, Hiwatari? What do I have to be afraid of, if there's anything at all?"  
  
But Satoshi never answered his question. Instead, he walked away from him, heading for the door from which he had entered the room. Once he had reached the gate, he turned back to face Dark. "I'm surprised, _Daisuke_, that you didn't think of asking _her_." Daisuke gaped inside of Dark's head, suddenly understanding whom Satoshi was referring to. Dark narrowed his eyes, he was so lost in his thoughts that he had no idea what Satoshi had been talking about.  
  
"The Curse of the Twilight will be waiting for you in the Hikari family vaults next Friday. I'm giving you a whole week to do your homework, Dark..." Satoshi turned to leave, but stopped in his tracks only a second later.  
  
"Oh," the boy spoke with an air of casualness, without turning around. "I'll make this pendant disappear and tell everyone you've stolen it. We don't want any witnesses for our next encounter, do we?"  
  
And then there was no one.  
  
Dark sunk to his knees and hid his face in his hands. He had forgotten how to breathe and was now in a state nearing hysterics. He could have snatched it from the boy's hands and finally put and end to this story, but he had chose to let him go. Why had he been so weak? Was he afraid? Was he surprised at the revelation? No, it wasn't surprise. It was fear. But what did he have to be afraid of? Why couldn't he do what he was there for, what he always did? Why couldn't he take the stupid pendant from Satoshi's hand?  
  
Why was he feeling so desperately helpless?  
  
_Why, why why...?_  
  
/Dark!/  
  
_Why I am so afraid?_  
  
/DARK!!/  
  
_..._  
  
Dark couldn't find in himself the will to acknowledge Daisuke. He could only ask himself what was wrong; he needed to know why he had lost his composure. He was the Legendary Thief, Dark Mousy; Dark Mousy couldn't behave like he had done. Dark Mousy couldn't break down and cry.  
  
But yet, there he was now. Curled in the floor in foetal position, hugging his stomach as he cried. He felt salty tears moisturising the corners of his lips; those tears, so alien to him, making him feel more alive than he had ever felt, but taking the life off him at the same time. Daisuke screamed and screamed for hours it seemed, but Dark never answered back.  
  
The redheaded tamer felt like crying himself, but he had imagined that wasn't what Dark needed at the moment. That is why, confused and worried as he was, he willed his body to change. Dark had helped him the night before, and now was his time to do the same; he was going to help Dark.  
  
-o-  
  
Once inside the comfort of the Niwas' home, more precisely in Daisuke's bedroom, Dark lay on the bed. His face was paler than usual and his eyes had lost its mischievous light; he could barely feel his body and if he couldn't see it, he would have believed it disappeared. Dark stared at the wall with dead eyes, replaying over and over the scene that had taken place earlier. Each time it pained him more to discover how weak he'd been. Daisuke had been telling him he wasn't weak and that everyone has bad days, but he didn't understand what he was going through. No one did, that's why they didn't care.  
  
Oh, no, Dark knew Daisuke cared about him dearly, but it didn't help him feel any better. He shouldn't have broken down like he did. He had to protect two lives, he needed to be in control of himself. But instead, he had lost sense of time and space, detaching himself from reality. And when he woke up, he found himself in Daisuke's bedroom. He was lying in the boy's bed, somewhere he didn't belong and something he didn't deserve. Something as dirty as his persona wasn't worthy of touching those sheets, staining them with his rotting essence.  
  
And Daisuke kept screaming in his head. He was crying and shouting as loud as his lungs would let him, but Dark couldn't hear a word. He just wanted to crawl under the dirt and die.  
  
/DARK!!/  
  
He couldn't answer.   
  
/DA---RK!!!/  
  
Not yet.  
  
-o-  
  
The following morning, all Daisuke had heard from Dark was a sobbed apology as he transformed back into a redheaded boy. Now back in control of his body, Daisuke wanted to do just one thing. One very important thing.  
  
He walked down the stairs into the kitchen. His mother greeted him with a smile, as usual, but he paid her no mind. Instead, he walked down another flight of stairs, from the trap door behind the cupboard into the darkness of the basement, where the family kept every stolen item.   
  
He didn't have to look for the light switch, the light had been turned on already. He then guessed his search had been excessively easy. He could see her a few meters from him, dusting off an old painting. His favourite work of art, Towa no Shirube.  
  
"Towa-chan," he called her.  
  
"Niwa Daisuke!" she chirped enthusiastically, flying to his arms with the speed of light. "How are you? I haven't seen you all day!"  
  
"I'm okay... though I'll admit to having had better days."  
  
Towa grimaced for a second, surely someone had told her of Dark's unexpected appearance on Daisuke's bed and the awful state he seemed to be in.  
  
"Towa-chan, I need you now more than ever."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
Daisuke sighed and looked at her with pleading eyes. "I need you to tell me everything you know about the Curse of the Twilight."  
  
Towa raised a hand to cover her gaping mouth. Her eyes were wide and she looked teary. Daisuke feared for the worst; what was so terrible about that pendant that everyone seemed so afraid?  
  
He was about to find out.  
  
-o-o-o- _Wahahahahahaaa!! I'm leaving it right there... you'll have to wait to see what happens. Don't be sad, people, Dark won't be depressed for much longer. He took it worse than he should have because it was he first time in a very, very, VERY long time that he had cried. It sort of came as a shock... I hinted that he's already a bit better when I said that he had apologised to Daisuke and all...  
  
How fortunate that we have Daisuke to take over the situation... and Towa. I wanted to include her because she's been one of my favourite characters since I first saw her. She's amazing... By the way, I know it's a bit late to be telling you this, but... I've based this story off the manga. I've never seen a single episode of the anime and I know the stories are different, so I wanted to make this clear: it's off the MANGA! And my favourite manga, at that. I own nothing, Yukiru Sugisaki-sensei does.  
  
Anyway, I'm off to write chapter 9 (yes, nine); I've so much free time lately that is not even funny. See you in the next episode...  
Please, leave a REVIEW!!_

By the way, thanks to all of those who reviewed, I'm glad you're liking this!!


	5. Chapter 5: Unexpected information

Note: /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics_  
  
-o-o-o-

****

Saa, me o tojite._  
Chapter 5: Unexpected information._

  
  
"Do you mean...?"  
  
"Yes," she nodded. Daisuke kept his mouth covered by both of his hands; he was gaping in utter disbelief. Towa no Shirube had been explaining to him what the Curse of the Twilight was in reality, leaving him speechless. He needed to find Dark, needed to talk to him. He had spent the last three hours hiding from Daisuke somewhere in the darkest depths of his mind and he hadn't been able to contact him. But that was about to change; Daisuke was willing to do anything just to get the thief's attention. It was, after all, for his own good.  
  
He thanked Towa one more time before dashing maniacally up the stairs into the kitchen, then ran like hell up another flight of stairs and into the safety of his room. Daisuke took a few minutes to slow his breathing and lay on the bed. Dark didn't seem willing to answer his calls and so he was going to try other means; he was going to -literally- look for him.  
  
He closed his eyes and relaxed. Letting the blackness swallow him whole, he waited for any sign of movement to alert him of the thief's whereabouts. It wasn't long -and he was rather surprised by this fact- before he caught a blur of movement to his right. He snickered inwardly; he had no idea where he was or how exactly he had got there, but he felt completely comfortable standing in the middle of all that nothingness. He walked -or floated, he wasn't sure- to the source of movement, trying to remain unseen. Apparently, he had been successful, for Dark had only noticed him once he had stood before him.  
  
"What are you doing here?" the thief asked perplexed, clearly not having expected Daisuke's presence. He refused to look the boy in his eyes, keeping his head lowered.  
  
"I came here to talk," Daisuke said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You didn't answer when I called you, so I figured out I might pay you a little visit."  
  
Dark remained silent for a while and Daisuke didn't push him to saying anything either. He just stared off into the unlimited distance and sighed. "What do you want?" he asked after a while, still avoiding Daisuke's gaze.  
  
"Well," Daisuke started saying as he tilted Dark's head with his fingers, forcing him to look at him. "I thought you might want to know what Towa told me about the Curse of the Twilight, but I decided not to tell you anything... before _you_ tell _me_ why you've been trying to avoid me."  
  
Dark finally let his eyes travel up to meet Daisuke's. The boy was determined to find out what he was upset about and didn't seem to expect otherwise. He groaned inwardly in frustration, having lost the battle before it had even started. "I've been avoiding you," he said, going straight to the point, "because I can't stand you asking silly questions about something you can't understand."  
  
Daisuke was taken aback by the coldness in those words, but also the pain hidden behind them. He smirked, very out of character, and let his fingers drop from Dark's chin; the man was still looking at him. "How do you know that I can't understand it, when you haven't even told me what it is in the first place."  
  
"I..." he let a shaky breath escape his lips. "Daisuke, I feel... weak. I feel scared, I feel sad. I've never felt like this before. I've never cried before. And yet, now, I find myself crying and feeling all these things that seem so odd... and I barely understand why." He had lost, that was for sure. Daisuke had already got his answer, what he had wanted from the beginning, and Dark was disgusted with himself for not having put up a more challenging fight.  
  
"All of those things," the boy told him, "were always within you, but you chose not to see them. I think that you should tell me what you're feeling right now; after all, if you're avoiding me, it's because what troubles you has a connection with me and therefore it is my problem as much as it is yours."  
  
And Dark surrendered to those once again pleading eyes, piercing his soul and leaving him feeling light and dizzy. Never tearing his gaze from Daisuke's, he told the boy how he didn't know the reason for his breakdown last night. He also told him about his feelings, which the boy seemed so interested about, and how he had been helpless and weak when he was supposed to be brave and protect the both of them. He told him many things, carefully avoiding the one thing that could serve as a connection between each topic.   
  
Daisuke only stared at him with kind eyes, listening to every word he said. He was studying him as he spoke, taking in the details of each gesture he made and how many times he blinked. Dark felt exposed, naked under that penetrating gaze and for a second he feared Daisuke might see the truth he'd been so careful to hide. But his speech ended just as quickly as it had begun and he was safe again, treasuring his secret deep inside himself in silence.  
  
"I think..." Daisuke said after a while, "that I should give you time to rest from this emotional catharsis, before I tell you what Towa said about..."  
  
"...the Curse of the Twilight," Dark finished for him, "everyone seems to only talk about that." He stood up, towering over Daisuke for mere millimetres. Shyly and very slowly, he brought his body closer to the boy's, wrapping his arms around trembling shoulders and, even if it was only a shared illusion, embraced him very gently in a gesture of gratitude. It felt uncomfortable and strange, but it felt so right at the same time; he didn't know of anything else he could do to express what he felt, anyway. Then, as he watched Daisuke disappear into the darkness, he whispered "thank you."  
  
Daisuke opened his eyes; he was smiling, his grin stretching from his left ear to his right one. He was happier than he'd been in days and all because Dark had trusted him enough to tell him what he felt. He was happy because Dark had thanked him and that meant that what he did hadn't been in vain and that it had actually helped him. He was happy because Dark was feeling fine again; or better, at least, but that was definitely something to be glad about.  
  
Too tired to think, Daisuke curled on his left side and let himself drift off to a peaceful, dreamless sleep.  
  
-o-  
  
There was a knock on the door.  
  
"Daisuke?" Emiko called him, peering from the doorway. "Daisuke?" She called again, the boy barely stirring. She smiled sweetly as she slipped into the room, heading in the bed's direction to try and wake her son up.  
  
"Daisuke? It's past lunch-time, honey, wake up..."  
  
Daisuke mumbled something in his sleep. Emiko frowned, believing she had heard wrong, but Daisuke kept on mumbling and soon everything made sense. But was it just a dream her son was having, or...? She didn't dare finishing her question. Instead, she let her hands drop and let Daisuke get some rest. If what she'd heard was true, then he would certainly need it.  
  
-o-  
  
There was another knock, followed by the door opening. Satoshi crept past the doorway, making his way to Daisuke's bed. The boy was still asleep.  
  
Satoshi poked at the sleeping form with a finger, trying to annoy him enough to wake up. Nothing. He pushed Daisuke with his hand, this time a bit more roughly. Yet nothing. He raised an eyebrow and walked around to the other side of the bed. Just what he had imagined.  
  
"Exactly for how long have you been awake?"  
  
Daisuke smirked mischievously and answered, "for a couple of hours..."  
  
The boy sat up, inviting Satoshi to sit on the bed at his side. They looked at each other in the eyes, momentarily awkward in the silence, before the blue-haired teen gathered up the courage to ask another question. "Has Dark done his homework yet?"  
  
"No," Daisuke said after a while in which he had been too shocked to answer.   
  
"I had imagined he wouldn't have done it yet... I just felt curious."  
  
"He didn't," Daisuke continued, interrupting Satoshi from what he was planning to say. "But I did."  
  
That was unexpected. Satoshi's eyebrows rose and he was looking mildly surprised. "What did you do?" he asked rather stupidly, already knowing the answer. Of course Daisuke knew that Satoshi didn't need him to reply, so he just looked at him in the eyes and sighed.  
  
After a short moment in which he kept his gaze lowered, he turned to the boy before him and said in a soft, sincere voice "thank you."  
  
If Satoshi's eyebrows had risen before, now they simply shot up to the skies in utter bewilderment. "What for?" was all he could say, or rather ask, making Daisuke snicker quietly, though he was nervous and his cheeks had coloured pink with embarrassment.  
  
"For not letting Dark steal the pendant." His answer was simple and Satoshi didn't need much more, but Daisuke felt like expressing himself further and he did so. "You knew what the pendant did and you didn't let him take it even though it would have made things a lot easier for you. I thank you for that."  
  
Satoshi felt his soul fall to the ground, leaving him feeling like an empty shell. He couldn't bear the look of gratitude in the boy's face, he didn't deserve it. He had to be honest with him.  
  
"You shouldn't be thanking me," he said, deadpan and serious. "I didn't let him steal the pendant, because it would have made things _difficult_ for me." Judging for the look on Daisuke's face, it was pretty obvious he didn't understand what he was referring to. "I know what the Curse of the Twilight is and what it does, but I have no idea how it works or how the curse within affects third-parties.  
  
"I didn't let him steal the pendant," he stopped to catch his breath, "because I was afraid of what might happen to you."  
  
Daisuke's eyes, usually expressive, went blank; they had lost their light and were now dead and hollow. Satoshi's words pierced his chest and tightened the knot in his throat, choking him. "Satoshi-kun..." he risked, staring at the boy in front of him with tears in his eyes. He felt betrayed, but he felt guilty at the same time. This boy in whom he had trusted was now telling him...  
  
"Don't say anything," Satoshi warned him. "I don't need to hear anything. I just need for you to understand; whatever Dark does will always affect you as well. I can't hurt him because I would be hurting you and I..." he stood to leave; he couldn't say anything else.   
  
Daisuke still couldn't utter a coherent thought regarding Satoshi's words and he felt bad for him. He had told him his secret, but he hadn't known it would hurt the other boy. Now, there was no one else to blame for this turn of events than himself; if only he had remained silent...  
  
Satoshi stood still, his hand on the doorknob. Without turning back, he said, "I never meant for us to have this conversation, but... I guess I couldn't help it. Not anymore, at least. I'll see you on Monday." Then he opened the door and left, muttering the words "I'm sorry" as he walked away.  
  
Daisuke had heard those last words, but he wasn't sure why the boy had spoken them. If there was someone who ought to be sorry, this time, it was definitely him. Or so he felt and anyway, dwelling further on the subject wouldn't do him or Satoshi any good. He chose to let it go, pretending he hadn't heard or that he didn't care, though neither was true. But he couldn't think about it, not now; he needed time for this new information to sink into his system.  
  
Dark chose that particularly weird moment to wake up, suddenly making Daisuke feel a lot better. /Dark!/ he exclaimed happily as he felt the spirit of his friend surfacing from the depths of his mind.  
  
_Hello_ the thief said in a quiet voice, still not very comfortable in Daisuke's presence. He was feeling fine now, having thought over things and having had that little talk with his tamer. _How are you?_  
  
Daisuke couldn't lie to him. He was as much a part of himself as his body was and it would be unfair for him to lie. So he told Dark everything that happened only moments before his 'arrival' and what Satoshi had said, or rather confessed, about his feelings. Daisuke could hear Dark whistling in surprise and he could almost imagine him widening his eyes to the size of saucers.  
  
_Are you sure that's what he meant?_  
  
Daisuke raised an eyebrow at Dark, even though he knew the thief couldn't see it. /What do you think?/ he said sarcastically. Surely not even Dark could be that thick... fortunately, he knew the thief hadn't really meant it. Dark didn't want to dwell on this subject any more than Daisuke did, but for different reasons. So, instead of asking further, he simply proposed a change of subject.  
  
_Do you... want to tell me what you found out?_  
  
It seemed to Dark that that wasn't the right thing to say; not at that moment. Daisuke remained quiet, lost in his thoughts. Dark dared not say a word. Minutes passed and the thief thought he wouldn't get any response from the boy, until he finally spoke.  
  
/The Curse of the Twilight,/ he started in a monotonous voice, /has the countercurse to either separate your body from mine or kill you./ He snickered bitterly, fighting back tears. /Either way you'd end up being free, huh?/  
  
Dark was taken aback by the revelation. Meanwhile, Daisuke was still trying not to let any tears fall. Somehow, telling Dark about the curse brought things to a different level, as if they hadn't been real before telling him. But now everything had change; both him and Dark knew the consequences of stealing the pendant and if they carried out the task, it could mean the end of both of their lives. And so, both boys kept to themselves; neither risking a sigh, much less a word.  
  
That is how the hours passed, until the silence in the room was broken by Emiko. "Daisuke, you're awake!" she chirped happily, completely ignoring the look of utter sadness in her son's face. "I'll be serving dinner in a while, go wash your hands and come down, alright?"  
  
Daisuke nodded and she left, Dark taking over the boy's attention once again. _Everything will be alright, Dai-chan,_ he said, trying to sound as confident as he could, _everything always is, in the end._  
  
Daisuke wanted to believe him...  
  
-o-o-o- 

Ta-dannnn!! This chapter was shit, I know... But there is a reason is there, or so I hope... Aaaaaaaaaanyway, the next chapters won't be anything out of the ordinary, but have a little faith in me, when the time for them to steal the CotT comes... everything will take shape and things will get interesting. Oh, yes... just have faith.  
  
Reviews are always welcome... please, leave some for me!!!  
  
And speaking about that... thanks to everyone who reviewed whether for last chapter or the previous ones: Akari, Chibis Unleashed, Psycho-kawaii, Kyone, Sakura Angel2, Nakiyume, Kelbora, Star Dragonsong, Trinity Tsunagi, Little Blossom, Bladegryphon, XxMaster-ExX, and xCherry-Flavored-Suicidex. Please, DO review!!!  
  
By the way, if someone could help me here... do any of you know of a good ff archive with DarkxDai stories? I love SatxDai fics, too, but I've had more than my share of those and, unfortunately, all of them seem to have DarkxKrad and I don't really like that coupling, you know... anyway, please help me! I can't seem to find any DxD and I neeeeeeed them!!  
  
Enough of my ramblings now.  
  
See you soon,  
  
Sayounara...


	6. Interlude: Deep inside

****

A/N:_ This is the dream Daisuke was having when his mother walked into his room last chapter. I dedicate this to all the happy-yaoi-campers that are reading this story. Another note: to me, the little furball is Wiz. That's how it was named in the manga (Argentinean translation) and I like it better than With. It sounds odd that way, so I choose to name it Wiz. Sorry for any inconveniences.  
_**Note:** /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics_   
  
-o-o-o-

****

Saa, me o tojite._  
Interlude: Deep inside._

  
  
"Daisuki?"  
  
Daisuke turned around in the direction of the voice. He wasn't surprised to see Wiz standing behind him with its brilliant eyes glowing happily. He approached the rabbit-demon and picked it from the floor, nuzzling his nose with Wiz's. He was a little shocked when the demon started glowing, but he would have never imagined it would change into the black-winged demon that usually helped Dark in his exploits.   
  
/Wasn't Dark the only one who could make it change?/  
  
He dismissed the question once the demon was fully transformed before him. It had its massive wings unfolded and its eyes were studying Daisuke, almost waiting for him to move. The boy remained rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do. He had never dealt with Wiz in this form and he was nervous. But seeing the demon wasn't moving and it looked expectant, he forced himself to move forwards.   
  
Daisuke reached out with his right hand, trying with all of his might to push aside every thought that implied that the demon would attack him, and stroked the black feathers hesitatingly, waiting for a reaction.  
  
The reaction that ensued, however, wasn't exactly what he had expected. Wiz's wings folded over the demon's form, wrapping it completely. The black-wrapped form before him looked like a blurry mist to Daisuke. It was as beautiful as it was strange, but whatever were the reasons, Daisuke couldn't tear his gaze from the image.  
  
It was a few moments later, moments that seemed like ages, that the mist evaporated and the smoke that had once formed it took the shape of a young man of about sixteen. A young man with violet hair and bright eyes, glowing mischievously in the darkness surrounding them.  
  
"Dark?"  
  
The name escaped Daisuke's lips like a prayer would, getting lost in the immense distance that seemed to exist between them when previously hadn't been any. A cold breeze ruffled the boys' hair and their gazes finally met. Dark's usually full of life and mischievous gaze, now looked serious and opaque, expressing nothing. Daisuke's eyes, instead, looked bright and glassy, due to the tears threatening to flow; tears that he couldn't understand. He wasn't sad, then why did he want to cry all of a sudden?  
  
A single tear ran down his pink cheek and dropped to the ground, instantly being sucked by the hungry earth. Dark was now standing before him, the distance separating them was less than an inch. Daisuke knew that this was a dream. It had to be, otherwise there would be no possible explanation to what happened next.  
  
Dark cupped the boy's face with his hands and dried the barely wet cheek that had served as a escaping route for that lonely tear. Daisuke just kept his gaze locked to the thief's. That certain thief, then, proceeded to close the now invisible distance between them, bringing their bodies close, their atoms mixing and blurring themselves into a single body. Each of them knew they were know sharing a bittersweet kiss but it seemed so surreal than it ended just as soon as it had started. When the both of them opened their eyes, they found themselves in a deserted graveyard, holding hands and still staring at each other.  
  
"Daisuke."  
  
The voice seemed distant although Daisuke knew whom it belonged to. The thief, Dark Mousy, was still holding his hand and whispering his name like a mantra as if he couldn't understand its meaning. Then he kissed him again, a slight peck on the cheek, and smiled, the sweetest smile Daisuke had ever seen.  
  
"Ai shiteru, Dai-chan."  
  
Then Dark vanished and Daisuke was left standing alone. He looked around, looking for a sign that would alert him of Dark's presence but found nothing. Just the same cold breeze, tousling his hair. But just as it blew all around him in multiple directions, that same breeze brought with it a blue-ish form. That shapeless form lay still on the ground where the breeze had left it, glowing bright as if enchanted. But soon, as it took shape, Daisuke's eyes widened.  
  
Satoshi walked up to him, the Curse of the Twilight hanging from his neck. He approached Daisuke with steady step, shutting the void between them. As he came to a halt before the boy of his dreams, as ironical as that sounded, he let his hands travel to the pendant he was wearing. Taking it off, he let it dangle between his fingers. Then, turning to Daisuke and staring into the very depths of the boy's eyes, he placed the cursed gift onto his hand.   
  
"Only you have the key to unleash its powers."  
  
Those words were the last thing he heard before Satoshi vanished, leaving nothing but a trail of dead butterflies spread on the now damp ground. As Daisuke melted into the earth, he held the pendant close to his chest and shouted until his lungs gave up.  
  
"I don't have the power to free Dark!"  
  
/The Curse of the Twilight... is tearing me apart./  
  
-o-o-o-  
  
_  
He, that's it. I hope you liked this. I'll see you in the next chapter.  
As usual, reviews are very much welcome._


	7. Chapter 6: Tsuki no uta

Note: /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics_   
  
-o-o-o-

****

Saa, me o tojite._  
Chapter 6: Tsuki no uta._

  
  
Dark was the first one of them to show any signs of life that Sunday. Daisuke was sleeping soundly through that stormy morning, while the thief had once again started pondering on the many things that occupied his mind at the moment. And the one thing that seemed to stand out from the rest was the Curse of the Twilight.  
  
It seemed to Dark that all of the things that had happen to him were now unimportant when compared to this new predicament. This curse that could finally erase his existence or either give him a life of his own. It also seemed to him that nothing he'd ever lived before was worth more than what he'd experienced in the relatively short time he'd spent with Daisuke. It was as if each one of his memories had been erased to be replaced with new ones. He wondered why, though he somehow already knew the reason.  
  
That was another thing that clouded his thoughts from time to time. He wasn't sure of what to make of those doubts, but he was sure it wasn't something he'd ever had to ponder on before. But even know, as he felt the rise and fall of Daisuke's chest as he breathed quietly while sleeping, he couldn't help but fear. He didn't even know what he was fearing anymore, but the sensation was there and it didn't look as if it would leave him any soon.  
  
Daisuke stirred. Dark automatically retreated back into the darkness and let the boy wake up in peace, something he didn't seem to find whenever Dark was around. The boy yawned in the quiet of his room, stretching his limbs lazily. He looked at the clock by the bedside table and groaned. It wasn't even half past nine and he was already up. On a Sunday. Sacrilege.  
  
He rolled off the bed clumsily, still numbed by sleep, and made his way to the closet. He picked out a pair of jeans and a shirt and put them on slowly, trying not to fall dead-asleep on the floor in the process. He then went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth and washed his face, still not registering anything going on around him such as his grandfather yelling to his father about someone having lost a key or Emiko singing happily as she prepared breakfast downstairs. Maybe that was why Kosuke and Daiki were shouting.  
  
There was only one thing Daisuke took in consideration that morning and it was that he was never alone. He was sharing his body with someone and that someone was already awake. How he knew Dark was awake was a mystery, but he did and so he called for him.  
  
/Dark?/  
  
_Daisuke! How are you? Had a good night's sleep?_ The thief asked to the boy in a sort of greeting, showing himself in a much better mood than he had the previous day. It seemed as if he had already forgotten everything, though both of them knew that wasn't likely to happen.  
  
/It was fine, how was yours?/  
  
_Nothing out of the ordinary... _  
  
/Oh,/ the boy answered rather dumbly. Mornings were not his favourite moment of the day. Daisuke walked down the stairs into the lower part of the house and made his way to the kitchen with Dark still talking to him about nothing and everything. In fact, he only shut up once Emiko had came into view with the rest of the Niwa clan. But Daisuke never minded his company and, to be honest, he was rather disappointed at the thief's departure.  
  
"Daisuke, honey, how are you?"  
  
"I'm okay," he answered truthfully. Though still dizzy with sleep, he was feeling good. Or good enough given the consequences, actually.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that, you've been rather odd lately."  
  
Daisuke shrugged and Emiko ruffled his hair affectionately. He then was forced to get involved in a conversation between Kosuke and Daiki about the Curse of the Twilight. Daisuke was sick of hearing about it and he had no interest whatsoever in speaking to his relatives about it, but seeing as he had no other choice, he simply told them what he knew.  
  
Instantly, everyone became silent.  
  
"TOWA!!" Emiko yelled angrily, making the blond girl rush to the kitchen, the usual smile on her face now replaced with a look of confusion.   
  
"What is it?"  
  
"How come you didn't tell us what you knew?" Emiko had her face red with anger. Kosuke wasn't looking any better and Daiki was feeling bad for the poor girl. How was she going to know she had to say anything when she didn't even know the blasted thing was going to be stolen?  
  
"I don't understand," she said truthfully; something only Daisuke and Daiki believed, even though they were just as worried as everyone else.  
  
"Don't play fool on me, Towa," Emiko warned her. "You knew what the Curse of the Twilight did all along and you didn't think it proper to inform us?"  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
Everyone turned to look at Daisuke. He had his head bent downwards, his bangs covering his eyes as he gazed at the ground avoiding everyone's stares. Finally, once he had calmed, he addressed his mother with a glare. "How can you talk to her like that? She didn't know she had to say anything, it was me who asked and she never tried to hide any details. She did the best she could, considering how she had no idea of our plans of stealing that stupid pendant!"  
  
He stood to leave, leaving his breakfast untouched. Emiko and the rest of the Niwas were left staring at the boy's retreating back as he left. Not a word was said afterwards and, after the outburst, all food plates were left untouched, just as Daisuke had done. No one was in the mood for eating.  
  
-o-  
  
Daisuke, instead of going back to his room as he had planned only seconds before, opened the front door and left his house. It was still raining hard and he was prone to catch a cold, but he didn't care. He just wanted to breathe fresh air and forget about things for a while. He wanted to clear his mind and rid it of all thoughts.  
  
And that is how he sat on the sidewalk, watching the raindrops fall angrily to the floor and doing nothing else. He was content to be at peace with himself, at least for a short while.  
  
Just as he was waiting for time to pass, he watched as a large white limousine parked itself in front of his house. He feared the worst and he was right in doing so. The door of the unusual automobile opened, almost in slow motion. A black umbrella spread itself and soon after a blond head and a lithe body became visible. Daisuke groaned inwardly; why did he have such bad luck?  
  
The form of Keiji Saga walked to where he was sitting, looking disgusted and shaking his head. "My, my, Niwa-kun... you're soaked to the bone, your clothes will get ruined."  
  
"Honestly," Daisuke started saying with annoyance, "I couldn't care less about my clothes."  
  
"Tsk, tsk." Saga shook his head again. "You should, Niwa-kun, you look so good in them, it would be a shame to see them spoiled by a moment of depression."  
  
"That didn't make sense," pointed out one deadpanned Funabashi from behind Saga's back. The man simply turned around to glare at him and make a rather rude gesture, intending to shut him up. "And you're being impolite."  
  
Saga counted to ten, to try not to slap him. Funabashi somehow loved to provoke him and he was succeeding for the most part. Instead, he turned his head back to Daisuke, speaking of whom had already stood up and was now opening the door to his home. "So much for a quiet morning..." he muttered to himself. He shrieked when the face of Saga came into view, mere inches from his.   
  
"Why the yelling? I'm a cute boy..."  
  
"Pervert."  
  
Funabashi was getting on Saga's nerves now, forcing the man the push him out of the way and back into the car. "Where was I?" Daisuke had once again managed to escape him, standing now behind the door of his home and closing it. Saga rushed to the door and stepped between it and its frame, preventing Daisuke from closing it. "Niwa-ku---n!" He whined annoyingly while the teen was still trying to close the door, his foot stuck between the door and the doorframe. "I need to speak to you!" Saga kept on whining until the boy finally gave up and let him in. "It was about time," he muttered.  
  
Daisuke let his mother know of the visitor's arrival and so she quickly disabled the traps of the hall. Saga then followed the boy into his room, where he was left to himself while Daisuke dried himself up in the bathroom.  
  
With an angry face and new clothes, Daisuke entered his room, closing the door behind. He sat on the bed and waited for Saga to say whatever it was he was so desperate to say. "Niwa-kun," the man started saying. "I have brought you something."  
  
"Do I want to know what it is?" Daisuke asked, rather scared. He always was, whenever Saga came into view; the man not only was a pervert, but also quite insane.  
  
"Don't worry, Niwa-kun, you'll like it." Saga took out a badly wrapped package from his pocket and handed it to the boy. "Go on," he said cheerfully, "open it!"  
  
Daisuke did as he was told, already regretting having let the producer or whatever the man was inside his home. Once the wrappings dropped to the floor, he was surprised to see a tiny photo album. He stared at it for a while, unsure of whether to open it and look inside or simply toss it back to Saga and, hopefully, hitting him on the head.  
  
"Well," said man prodded him with his finger in his ribs, making Daisuke want to unleash his fury. "Aren't you going to look inside?"  
  
Daisuke was about to confess being a little scared at what he could find inside the book, but he really didn't stand a chance with Saga by his side and being even more annoying than usual. He opened the album and started flicking through its pages. He found pictures of himself, nothing out of the ordinary... well, if you didn't consider the little pink hearts and chibi bunnies adorning the pages, something that made Daisuke squirm in his seat with embarrassment. He could bet his life he was blushing. He also took the chance to mentally curse Saga. As he kept flicking through the album's pages he found images of Dark.  
  
_Holy shit..._  
  
/Yes,/ he answered to Dark's statement /I feel the same way./  
  
He turned page after page of photographs, until he reached the one that made his heart skip a few beats and his breath catch in his throat.   
  
_I think it would be wise to let you know that... we are screwed._  
  
/How poetical of you.../ Daisuke said to Dark. /But you're right./  
  
The picture featured Dark, staring at the pendant hanging loosely from Satoshi's hand. As he turned the page, he observed Dark, bent down on his knees, clutching at his head. Another page and Dark was lying unconscious on the ground. Another one... and Daisuke was entering his home.  
  
The boy looked up to Saga's grinning face with pure, unadulterated hatred in his eyes. Though the man was a burden in Daisuke's life, he still felt a little sympathy towards him. But now... now he wanted to torture the man slowly and painfully until he dropped dead on the floor and then chop his limbs off his body and feed them to Wiz.  
  
"What is it you want?" He asked, trying to keep his composure; otherwise he would have lunged for Saga's neck right there and then.  
  
The blond man only grinned wider and took the album from Daisuke's hands, starting to flicker through the pages with a malicious glint in his eyes. "Oh, nothing, really..."  
  
"I don't believe you," Daisuke told him.  
  
"Well, you should, Niwa-kun. Well," he acknowledged evilly, "partially, at least."  
  
Obviously, that statement didn't surprise Daisuke in the least. He sighed and looked at Saga with venom in his gaze as he commanded him to speak.  
  
The blond man simply grinned wider and wider each second. He folded his hands in his lap and looked at his redheaded companion. "You see, Niwa-kun, I always knew you were Dark." Daisuke nodded. It was true and he had always suspected that Saga had known from the very beginning, even with Wiz's help and every trick that had been intended to confuse him. He may look stupid, but that didn't mean he really was. "To me, finally having proof for my theory is enough a reward. However, it would be unfair for all of my team -that worked day and night investigating and taking pictures- to leave this blackmail material unused."  
  
"I'll repeat myself, then," Daisuke said, trying to keep his composure before he strangled Saga. "What on Earth do you want from us?"  
  
"Actually, I want nothing from you both." Saga looked, for once, embarrassed. Daisuke saw him as his cheeks turned pink and frowned; he understood the man less and less with each second that passed. Finally, Saga explained himself. "I want Dark... to sign a contract with my company."  
  
Daisuke froze. He didn't know whether to finally succumb to his instincts or burst out laughing. Surely he couldn't be serious, could he? "What?" he spat at the man.  
  
Saga continued to smile. "You heard."  
  
"Is this a joke?"  
  
"Nope," Saga shook his head. "I already had you in a commercial, now I want Dark. I could turn him into a star! Everyone already loves him, even though he's a thief. How could we not exploit his outstanding talents???"  
  
Daisuke had been uncomfortable before, but now he was near hysterics. Saga was speaking to him as if it were a famous artist he was referring to. /Dark?/ He called cautiously. /Have you, by any chance, listened to what this madman just said?/  
  
_Yes._  
  
/Should I transform into you? I don't think I can handle this man much longer.../  
  
_I don't think it would be wise to transform._ Dark admitted to the boy._ I don't have your patience of self-control, I would probably turn from a thief into a murderer._  
  
/Okay then, what should I tell him?/  
  
_Well, first, tell him that I will consider his offer and then... snatch the fucking album from him and kick him out of the house._  
  
"Hey! You spaced out," Saga informed him happily, and rather uselessly. "I suppose you were speaking to your -let's say- inner-self, weren't you?"  
  
"Oh, but how bright of you!" Daisuke mocked him, losing his temper yet once again.  
  
"So, what's your -or rather his- answer then?"  
  
"He said he's going to consider it." Saga literally jumped with excitement. He clapped his hands and grinned even wider, making Daisuke's left eye twitch. "He also said," he carried on, lying to the man so he could finally have a little peace. "He also said, that in order to think about your proposition he needed time to be alone. In other words," he said nonchalantly as he stood up, "get out."  
  
Daisuke took the album from Saga's hands and caught him by the neck of his shirt. Saga told him that he was expecting a definite answer by tomorrow, as Daisuke dragged him out of the room and down the stairs into the front door and finally pushed his body out of the house. He exaggerated a grin to the man and waved at him from his current position as he yelled "bye!" As he closed the door and turned around, however, he met his mother's eyes, which were looking curious.  
  
"Wasn't that one of your friends?"  
  
Daisuke wondered, from time to time, if his mother was normal. He looked at her, the annoyance from his encounter with Saga still visible in his features, and asked her in an alarmed voice, "what is your problem?" before dashing past her and up the stairs once again, to lock himself in his room. He couldn't remember ever having spent so much time inside those four walls.  
  
_That was odd._ It was the only thing Dark said and Daisuke agreed with him.  
  
/Odd and tiring./  
  
_We have to do something about this, I don't want to be involved with that man._  
  
/Figure it out yourself, I'm tired./  
  
_Thank you, Daisuke, you're such a great help._  
  
Daisuke snickered /I know I am./  
  
-o-  
  
The rest of the day went by without any other major events happening. Daisuke didn't eat -he was still angry with his family- and spent some of his time catching up on schoolwork. He could also be found reading a book from time to time, but mostly he spent his time talking to Dark. He thought back to the day when everything had started. He had thought of Dark as a burden, but as time passed he learned to like him and appreciate him deeply. And in this last month, most specially the last week, he'd learn how to love him.  
  
It was weird for him to finally admit that to himself, but he couldn't help it anymore. Just like Satoshi couldn't help but let him know of his feelings that day. He wondered if he would have the same luck as Satoshi. Was he going to lose himself in front of Dark and let him know of his feelings? He doubted it. Even if he was forever sad, he couldn't tell him. He was sure the thief wouldn't understand and even if he did, he wasn't going to return Daisuke's feelings. He wasn't ready to be rejected once again. And anyway, it somehow made him feel better, in a rather twisted way, to know that if he never found true love Dark would never leave.  
  
Daisuke yawned and stretched his arms. One look at the clock to know it was nearing midnight. He closed the books he had been staring at absently and made his way to the closet to take out his pyjamas.   
  
_Daisuke?_  
  
/Yes, Dark?/ Daisuke acknowledged him sleepily.  
  
_Do you mind if I borrow your body for tonight?_  
  
Surely only he would be having that kind of conversation; he snickered as he thought so. Daisuke dropped his arms, defeated. /Sure, why not?/  
  
_Thank you, Dai-chan!_  
  
/Just one thing, though. Why do you want it for at this time of night?/  
  
_I just want to go for a walk._  
  
Daisuke shrugged, /okay./ He then concentrated all of his energy in transforming into Dark. He hadn't noticed how difficult it was to do it out of will. He imagined that the reason why it had been so easy to do it last Friday was because he was scared for the thief. He was so desperate that his DNA must have reacted. It wasn't a thrilled idea, considering his feelings for the thief.  
  
Finally, the transformation was complete and Dark left through the window of Daisuke's room. He didn't go far, though, he merely climbed to the rooftop of the house and sat on its edge. Looking up at the now clear sky, he stared at the moon. All of his thoughts mingled inside of his mind and he lost track of time as he stopped considering them. Daisuke was fast asleep, he could tell, and that gave him freedom to ponder on all of those things that were troubling him. Of course he did consider Saga's offer -well, not exactly-. He knew that Saga probably had a copy of all the photographs and so he had to find a way to solve this problem. It was his responsibility, since Saga seemed to only want him.  
  
But he couldn't stop thinking about one particular thing. He couldn't stop worrying about Daisuke. The boy was present in all of his thoughts and he couldn't understand it. Well, he had a vague idea of what could be the problem at hand, but it seemed odd to him. It would be too out of character to even consider it. But still, the doubt was there and he couldn't just shrug it off.   
  
He also pondered for a while on his existence. He thought back to all of those times in which he had thought himself in love, all of those girls he had seduced and those who had seduced him. He thought about the times in which he shared the body with Daiki. He remembered Agate and how the boy had been in love with her. He could still remember the look of utter sadness in Daiki's face when he found out the girl had died. It had somehow made him think that he didn't enjoy his life anymore. He didn't want to be the curse of the Niwa family; he wanted to have a life of his own. That's when he realised what his wish really was. He wanted to love and be loved. That one thing that seemed essential to all humans and he had never considered, was the one he now wanted the most.  
  
Dark closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Thinking of those things always made him sad. He always believed -and would continue to do so until proven wrong- that he would never grant his wish. Love was not made for him, it seemed, and it pained him now more than ever. His wish was for someone to love him for what he was, flaws and all, and understand him; someone to support him. He sighed. He was probably aiming too high.  
  
And so, he kept staring at the moon as he sang, without even realising he was doing it.  
  
_Pandora's Box open  
I look through my memories  
Old glares and new loving stares  
I can't seem to tell them apart  
  
If there's one thing I'd like to know  
Is what you don't want to tell me  
  
shikirou kasanete  
kimi no kage, hiroiatsume_  
  
-o-o-o- 

_Dark's song is, in reality, a fragment of a song I wrote two months ago. Laugh all you want but I like it a lot. It's one of my favourite lyrics (out of those I've written, of course). Due credit goes to Gackt, since I stole those last two lines from his song Tsuki no Uta and then named my song like that and now the title of the chapter as well.  
The translation of those lines:  
"The mirages pile up  
Your shadows, I collect them."  
That's it, I hope you liked this chapter! As usual, I ask you to be patient and have faith, everything will take shape soon.  
__PS. Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter, I'm glad you're liking this thing. About last chapter... it was a dream. The dream Daisuke was having in chapter five. That's it, nothing more to say, I'm leaving. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!_


	8. Chapter 7: Blackmail?

Note: /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics_   
  
-o-o-o-

****

Saa, me o tojite._  
Chapter 7: Blackmail?_

  
  
Once again Daisuke had skipped classes. His mother had been to his school to tell the professors about his current condition, so they wouldn't worry. Meanwhile, he was lying in bed, his blankets wrapped around him up to his nose, and Dark was nowhere to be seen. He had woken up with a headache, coughing and sneezing. Just as he had predicted, he caught a cold. His temperature had risen to nearly thirty-nine degrees and his cheeks burned; his hands were freezing and he was shivering even though he felt hot. He imagined Dark wasn't much better; after all, they shared a body. When one was sick the other was just as bad. Maybe that was the reason why he hadn't show up yet.  
  
And that was another thing that bothered Daisuke that day. Without Dark to talk to him and nothing to do in his room by himself, he was absolutely bored. Towa came and went away carrying medicines and soup bowls and other various things, but she never stopped to simply stay with him. He felt bored and alone and he wasn't sleepy, therefore couldn't sleep. He really had nothing to do.  
  
Fortunately, or so he wanted to believe, Kosuke entered his room. "How are you feeling?" he asked to his son, showing concern.  
  
Daisuke answered him in a most weary voice, "I feel like shit."  
  
"Daisuke!" Kosuke scolded his son "language. You shouldn't be that rude."  
  
"Sorry." The boy apologised sincerely.  
  
"That's okay, I know how horrible it is for you to be lying in a bed and doing nothing." Daisuke smiled at him gratefully. Just a little company was enough to make him feel better. "I also wanted to know how you were feeling... on the inside."  
  
"Ano..." Daisuke muttered. What could he say to his father? The man knew him so well he had suspected he might know something about his infatuation with Dark. He wasn't sure of what to say, because he thought that anything he told his father could be misunderstood -or actually, it could be understood, which is what Daisuke didn't want to happen-. He opted to say he was fine.  
  
"I see..." Kosuke didn't seem convinced in the least, but he let it pass. He wanted to help his son more than anything, but he couldn't do so until the boy told him what he was going through. He tried not to worry too much, though.  
  
"Seeing you are rather lonely and bored, do you want to play chess?"  
  
Chess had never been appealing to Daisuke before, but seeing that there wasn't anything better to do, he nodded to his father. The man left momentarily, only to come back with an old box in his hands. Daisuke sat up on the bed and his father sat on a chair next to him. Opening the box, he blew away the dust that had accumulated before taking out a chessboard that looked as old as Daiki. He then proceeded to order the chess pieces on the board. Daisuke chose the black ones, letting Kosuke make the first move.  
  
The game didn't last long, though, mainly due to the fact that Daisuke was a terrible player. But it didn't stop him from having a good time, since his father and him had been talking all through the short duration of the game. It was a nice change from all the tension that surrounded both Daisuke and Dark these days.  
  
When it was time for lunch, Kosuke left the room. Towa came minutes later carrying a tray with a steaming vegetal soup and a glass of water. She waited for him to finish eating so she could take the tray downstairs, but didn't speak much. The only thing she said, she muttered it on her way out of Daisuke's room.  
  
"Thank you for defending me yesterday," she said, "I wasn't mistaken when I decided to stay with you."  
  
Daisuke only smiled and told her that she shouldn't let his mother mistreat her, even if the woman was nervous and scared. Nothing was her fault and she had already helped enough. Towa was blushing furiously then and left the room squealing like a schoolgirl in love.   
  
Daisuke shook his head and lay back on the mattress. He wanted to do something, but, in his current condition, there wasn't much he could do. So he just closed his eyes and simply let his body rest.  
  
-o-  
  
Keiji Saga sat at his office, with his feet propped on the desk. He was bored, fumbling with a loose thread on his otherwise impeccable shirt. He had got no response from Dark or even Daisuke and he was getting upset. He didn't want anything bad, just a signed contract. He would be doing the thief a favour, but no one ever considered him in that way. He sighed as he picked up the phone and dialled a number.   
  
"Yes? Keiji Saga here," he spoke to one end of the receiver.   
  
"I have something that might be of interest for you."  
  
-o-  
  
Seeing that he hadn't much to do but think, Daisuke thought about many things. For once, he didn't think about Dark; he was thinking about Riku.  
  
He was still the girl's boyfriend, even though he didn't love her anymore. He supposed it was because, deep inside, he was hoping to forget about his crush on Dark. That, and the fact that he didn't have the courage to tell her; he was afraid of how she would take the news. He never wanted to hurt her, but it seemed the only option at the moment. And if he didn't speak now, then it would be too late. Still, he felt miserable for having to break up with her. She'd been so nice to him, despite all of those times in which she thought he loved Risa... He then noticed that maybe Riku would misunderstand his feelings. After all, he couldn't tell her he loved Dark and he didn't want to lie, but that would inevitably lead to trouble. Risa was always in her twin's mind as something of a threat and Daisuke was only going to make matters worse.  
  
Life was so difficult for him. He just wanted to have a normal life, someone to love that loved him in return... not much. But everything he had were problems; it seemed sad, but it was true. It was funny too, since all of his problems had to do with Dark. He wondered why... But back to the topic at hand, he was now resolute. If tomorrow he felt good enough to go to school, he was going to speak to Riku. He couldn't lie to her anymore, it wasn't fair.  
  
_You're going to break up with Riku?_  
  
Daisuke froze mid-thought. Dark was talking to him, but how much had he heard? He was sure by now he'd learnt to shield his mind from Dark, but apparently he couldn't. Then again, if he had heard anything about the 'crush' he would have said something else, if anything at all. He shook his head; whatever the circumstances were, he wasn't going to falter in Dark's presence. He'd learnt from experience that being nervous without apparent reasons always made things more difficult.  
  
/Yes./  
  
_Why? I thought you loved her._ Dark sounded genuinely surprised. He had heard very little of Daisuke's thoughts, but enough to find out about that bit of disconcerting information. This time, though, Daisuke hadn't been yelling in his head like he did when he was angry, so Dark supposed that the mental shield between them had weakened due to the boy's sickness.  
  
Daisuke sighed. /I did love her,/ he said, /but I don't feel the same way now./  
  
_Is this about Risa? Are you unsure of whom you like better?_  
  
The redhead groaned audibly. /Why does everyone presume that every time something weird happens with Riku is because I have doubts about her sister?/  
  
_It's not about her then. Um, is there... someone else?_  
  
What could Daisuke say? There was, indeed, someone else, but he couldn't tell Dark. If he admitted to liking someone else, he was sure the thief would press to know who that someone was. It made him feel upset and slightly annoyed to notice that even the littlest of predicaments were always so complicated for him. Taking a moment to think, he decided to take his chances; he had thought of a way in which to change the subject if necessary. And it was something that had been nagging at him since last night.  
  
/Actually,/ he risked tentatively, /there is./  
  
The news sunk deep into Dark's stomach. He felt a cold breeze enveloping him and he had suddenly lost interest in the conversation. There was something he did want to know, though. _Who is this someone you like?_  
  
/I don't think you'd want to know,/ he answered truthfully. Having already prevented that the thief would ask for that someone's identity, he put to action his plan of changing the subject. /It's not important anyway. There's one thing though... Do you mind if I ask you something?/  
  
Actually, it did bother Dark a bit, but he couldn't tell Daisuke. _No, go ahead._  
  
/Have you ever been in love?/  
  
The question took Dark by surprise, even worse than Daisuke's revelation had, and he became slightly nervous. Sure, he'd liked a lot of girls in his life, those who usually triggered a change in his DNA to transform back into the body of his tamer. But he couldn't call that love. The closer he'd got to finding out what love truly was, was when he'd realised... _No, not really._  
  
/Oh. Then... have you ever wondered what it would feel like to love someone?/  
  
_Well, yes, everyone does at some point._  
  
/Do you... love anyone at the moment?/  
  
Dark was getting more and more nervous. He thanked, probably for the first time ever, that he didn't have a body of his own. Otherwise, he would be squirming in his seat and sweating. Probably even blushing; this wasn't the kind of conversation he liked to have with Daisuke. _Not really..._ he lied. He couldn't tell him the truth.  
  
The boy didn't seem too convinced, after all, he had more than enough proof that Dark was hiding something. Even the words Dark chose to deny being in love acted as proof against him. Last night when he'd been woken up by a deep voice singing about love -Dark's voice, he was sure- he had started doubting. /But... don't you even consider loving someone?/  
  
_No._ Why was the boy suddenly so interested in his love life?  
  
/I don't want to bother you, I was just curious./ He decided it was time to let the thief know of what he'd listened. /I heard you singing last night./  
  
Dark remained quiet; there wasn't much he could say, anyway. Last night, while he was sitting, staring at the moon, he had let out his feelings in the form of a song. Somehow it had made its way to his subconscious and forced him to sing. He didn't like doing that, but it was as if he had no control over his actions. And so, almost resignedly, he sung as he let tears of frustration course down his cheeks.  
  
/Dark?/  
  
_Yes, Daisuke?_  
  
The thief had become serious, Daisuke noted. It wasn't a part of his plan to make Dark feel uncomfortable, but now that he'd seen the change on his predisposition and the way he seemed to be nervous, he couldn't help but feel curious. He needed to know if Dark was in love and, if he was, he needed to find out who it was. /It was a beautiful song,/ he admitted to the thief.  
  
_If you say so..._  
  
/Was it yours?/  
  
_Actually, yes._  
  
/What was it about?/  
  
_Nothing in particular._  
  
/It had to be about something./  
  
_Not something,_ the thief corrected him without even thinking,_ it was about someone._  
  
Both Dark and Daisuke became quiet. Dark wanted to die; how could he have said that? He had never wanted to accept what his true feelings were and all the times he thought about it he had believed he could deny them. But all of that changed in an instant. A brief moment that stretched like hours was all it took for him to finally realise he'd been lying to himself all the time. He couldn't deny what he felt anymore. He couldn't deny he was in love.  
  
/Dark?/ Daisuke called after a while. He got no response and somehow he wasn't surprised. He wondered if it had anything to do with what he'd been talking with Dark. He smacked himself in the forehead; of course, that was it. He'd tried to persuade the thief into speaking about something he didn't want to speak about. And still... all his mind could record was that despite all of his pushing, Dark had finally admitted that he was interested in someone. He couldn't find a different explanation to why the thief would have been singing a song like that one. And he'd said he'd written it; that had to mean something. He felt bad for him because, judging for the lyrics, it seemed Dark was in love with someone who couldn't return his feelings. But, to be honest with himself, he felt a lot worse for himself.  
  
-o-  
  
Satoshi smirked as he eyed the photographs carefully. How could that Keiji Saga be so careless? Didn't he imagine that this didn't serve to prove the connection between Daisuke Niwa and the legendary thief Dark Mousy? Satoshi had to get rid of this man before he could complicate their situation further, though. Picking up the phone, he dialled Saga's number. He was going to have a few words with the man...  
  
-o-o-o-

_Sorry, but I have to leave it like that. Oh, poor Dark... a slip of his tongue and he's already running away... Quite a bloody coward, he is. Daisuke is sad, poor thing. Not only he's feeling awful, now his heart aches. Stupid boys...   
Oh, well, I hope you liked it. Review, please, and feed my ego!! _


	9. Chapter 8: Sayounara

Note: /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics_   
  
-o-o-o-

****

Saa, me o tojite._  
Chapter 8: Sayounara._

  
  
There was a knock at the door. Satoshi walked in the direction of the rather annoying rapping, already knowing whom the visitor was. Keiji Saga stood behind the doorframe, flanked by two serious-looking assistants. After inviting them inside, Satoshi kindly asked for them to help themselves freely around the apartment, while he and his guest had a little chat. Saga seemed suspicious of this, but he said nothing.  
  
-o-  
  
Dark had remained silent throughout the entirety of that Monday. Daisuke had become worried and a bit flustered, but it was now Tuesday and he had to forget all about his current problems and get ready for school. That was exactly what he was doing at the moment, actually, while he rehearsed over and over the speech he had prepared for Riku. Quite a long day, this Tuesday seemed to be.  
  
Daisuke left in a rush, merely waving back at his relatives. He thought, as he held back a snicker, that his late arrivals at school were rather clichéd. Anyway, there wasn't much he could do to change that, since he was running a good few minutes late. And so he ran as fast as he could, praying that his teacher wouldn't be too punctual.  
  
He got to his classroom just in time. Takeshi walked to greet him and caught him in a bone-crushing hug. He really wasn't in the mood to put up with the boy's antics, but he bit back his opinion and let him greet him as brutally as he fancied. As he started struggling to free himself from the weird embrace, he was surprised to see Satoshi's desk empty. But then again, remembering what the boy had told him on Saturday, it wasn't that strange. Sure, Satoshi was neither shy nor a coward, but even the toughest man on earth would feel a bit uncomfortable if he were in Satoshi's place, specially given the relation between the boys and their unwanted family legacies. He wondered for a while about the possible reasons for Satoshi's absence, before tearing his gaze from the empty spot. Unfortunately, that same gaze fell on his girlfriend, Riku.  
  
"Niwa-kun!" she called happily as she approached him. Just like Takeshi had done, she caught him in a hug; this one, though, was softer and a lot sweeter. Daisuke wanted nothing but to be elsewhere. "How are you?" Riku asked with concern. She seemed to be studying his face; what she was looking for, Daisuke wasn't sure.  
  
"I'm fine," he said and it was true. Well, half of it; while he was feeling well physically, he felt quite awful on the inside. Mostly because of the girl talking to him only inches from his face. /If only she had purple hair.../ he thought rather stupidly.  
  
Dark could hear that thought, though he didn't comment on it. Instead, he contented himself with knowing that at least Daisuke was thinking of him -he couldn't think of anyone else they knew that had his hair-colour-. He probably missed him if he was trying to compare Riku with him, he imagined. He then thought the idea was rather odd, not to mention a bit sick, but promised himself he would consider the subject later. After all, he had nothing but endless time to waste... until his curse was broken. That was likely to happen soon, anyway; even if it ended his life as well. Either way, as Daisuke had once said, he would be free.  
  
-o-  
  
Classes ended too quickly, in Daisuke's opinion. He walked to Riku's desk, as he usually did, to ask her if she wanted him to walk her home. It was a pointless ritual, since she always expected him to do so and without him even having to ask the silly question. But that was the way Daisuke was, so polite and respectful.  
  
They were walking side by side now, feeling uncomfortable around the other; that was something, Riku noticed, that had never happened before. There wasn't awkwardness between them, but tension. She became worried at once. Stopping in her tracks, she turned to Daisuke to ask if there was something wrong. Much to her displeasure, there was.  
  
"Riku," Daisuke addressed her nervously, "there is something I meant to tell you." Those simple words had caught the girl's attention. She guided the both of them to a nearby park and sat on a bench, dragging Daisuke with her. Good thing they were well seated and physically comfortable, because the boy was feeling less confident with each second that passed. But soon enough, he brought himself to say what he intended to.  
  
"Riku, I... I want..." he stammered with nervousness; a tightening knot in his stomach was making him sick. How could he tell her he didn't want to go out with her anymore? This was too difficult. "I think," he kept on stammering, "I think we should break up."  
  
There, he'd said it. He regretted having done so, though, once he saw the look of utter sadness in Riku's eyes. He was, therefore, rather amazed when that wet glow turned into a serene, thoughtful glance. Riku covered his hands with her own and pierced the boy's eyes with the sweetness in hers. "I understand," she said. Daisuke could barely believe she had said such thing, but she kept speaking nonetheless. "You don't love me anymore?" It was more a statement than it was a question; she probably knew the answer, but wanted to reassure herself. Daisuke nodded, he couldn't find in himself the courage to speak the words aloud. He ought to give her an explanation, though.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said, "but I... there is someone else." Fast and painless, he thought; a pitiful attempt at the explanation he intended to give her. "I don't know what to say, Riku, I'm sorry." He knew well enough that apologising wasn't going to make Riku feel any better, but the words flowed out of his mouth out of free will, it seemed. He avoided looking at her as he tried to muster up the courage to tell her he was in love with a boy.  
  
"Daisuke," she interrupted him. "I can't lie to you, you know." She half-smiled in a sad way, as he tilted the boy's chin so he would meet her gaze. "I am really sad and if there were anything I could do to change the way things are, believe me, I would do it. But I can't make you love me, especially now that you like someone else."  
  
Neither uttered a syllable after that. Daisuke was glad for the understanding silence between them and so was Riku, though in a more painful way. She didn't want to understand anything, she really loved Daisuke, after all. She supposed she ought to be happy to have him as a friend, which was an understated agreement they both had.  
  
After that while in which no one spoke, Daisuke stood up. Holding out his hand for Riku to take, he waited for her to stand up as well. Surprisingly at ease with each other, they walked together until it was time to part ways.  
  
/All in all,/ Daisuke thought contentedly to himself, /that went rather well./  
  
-o-  
  
Saga contorted his mouth into a sneer. "WHAT?" he shrieked with disbelief. Satoshi only kept his arms and legs crossed, his face as expressionless as usual. He said nothing, instead expecting Saga to understand by himself. "You expect me to apologise to Daisuke Niwa?"  
  
"Exactly. And if I weren't working for the police, I'd ask you to apologise to Dark as well."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, that's obvious," he said calmly. "Because these photographs only serve to either make the boy's life even more difficult than it already is, or get you in jail for stalking."  
  
If Saga had been angry before, he was now full of hatred. His face had gone chalky-white and his mouth tightened into a thin line. "Why are you doing this?"  
  
"That's none of your business," Satoshi was still calm, his tone never faltering. "But I will tell you, though, because you're intelligent enough to keep your mouth shut." Saga was all ears. "My only purpose in life," he stated with that cold serenity of his, "is to catch Dark. I would go to any lengths to do so, but I can't drag the boy with him." Saga had never really understood the thief's story, if he was honest with himself, but he was willing to and that was enough to keep his attention fixed on the young man sitting in front of him.  
  
"Believe it or not," Satoshi carried on, "there is a curse bonding them; that much I'm sure you've found out about." Saga nodded, annoyed. "I have to first break the curse, separate those two personalities into two different bodies and then catch Dark. It's that simple, though when merely speaking about it, it looks stupidly easier."  
  
"So, what you want me to do is to simply back off?"   
  
"Yes," he nodded for emphasis, "and I also want you to do me a favour." Saga looked as if he were about to throw up. At seeing his look, Satoshi added in a more amused tone "I think your freedom is worth your co-operation."  
  
Saga wanted to strangle the man then and there but suppressed the urge to do it. Instead he nodded his agreement and Satoshi smirked. "What I want you to do" he said as he shoved his right hand into his pocket, "is -when you meet Niwa to apologise- to give him this key." He let the golden item fall onto Saga's outstretched hand and added, as an afterthought, "he'll know what it means."  
  
Saga narrowed his eyes at Satoshi as he stood up. He didn't think he'd ever hated someone as much as he hated him at the time. But anyway, he could not argue with him, considering his position in the police forces. So, pocketing the key in his white leather jacket, he made his way to the front door where Funabashi and the other man were waiting for him. Satoshi followed close and let him out; neither said a word to the other.  
  
-o-  
  
Daisuke arrived home feeling strangely light. It was as if his feet were floating and he had no idea why. He supposed it had to do with the immense weight he'd taken off his shoulders, but dismissed the subject, anyway. Though he was feeling rather well, he still wanted Dark to talk to him. He'd even considered looking for him in his mind, like that one time a couple of days ago, but changed his mind. This time, Dark himself would have to come out of his protective shell. He didn't have the right, he thought, of forcing him to come back when he himself had been the one to put him at shame. Or so he imagined; he really wasn't sure of the reason why Dark had been so upset.  
  
Still, Daisuke missed the thief dearly.  
  
He opened the front door, ready for the usual display of traps. Jumping here and ducking there, left, right, left, left and he was finally in the hall of his home. Emiko came rushing to get him in a hug and congratulated him on an excellent performance. Kosuke shook his head behind his wife and Daiki grinned like the proud grandfather he was.  
  
Daisuke followed his mother to the kitchen where he had a late lunch. Everyone was staring at him, silently wondering why his mood had suddenly changed. His mother, being the insufferable meddler he loved so much, was the first to inquire him.  
  
"How was school today, honey?" She asked with that suspicious grin on her face.  
  
"Fine," he said. It wasn't a lie, nor the entire truth either. He wasn't sure he could tell her what had happened with Riku after classes.   
  
"I don't know... you look a lot better than you have in days." Daisuke froze. She was going to say it any minute... "Did something good happen with Riku-chan?"  
  
That's it. Daisuke closed his eyes and relaxed. Serenely, in a way reminiscent of Satoshi Hiwatari, he looked up into the faces of his relatives and told them that Riku and him had broken up. Daiki and Kosuke both seemed surprised by the news, but Emiko... she was the personification of calm. It was as though she knew something like this would happen, even when Daisuke's revelation hadn't been exactly what she had expected. But she had a look on her face that made the boy feel slightly uneasy. He was right in feeling that way.  
  
Emiko gently grabbed him by the arm and forced him to look at her -and only her-. She remained quiet for a while, simply staring into her son's eyes which held a look of mild concern mixed with a tinge of sadness. "Why did you two break up?" she asked, making sure that she wouldn't be easily fooled.   
  
"Because," Daisuke stammered just like he had done when speaking with Riku. "I don't love her anymore."  
  
"Oh," was all she said. Then, she looked into Kosuke's eyes and the man understood; soon, both him and Daiki had left the room to leave mother and son alone. "Are you sure of what your feelings are?"  
  
Daisuke didn't want to talk about things like that with her mother, but it seemed he had no other choice. He nodded and Emiko sighed. "Why the sudden change? I thought you were in love with her."  
  
"I was," he stated. He kept trying to avoid her mother's gaze, but it was as if he were glued to her eyes. "I..." but he never finished the sentence. Emiko winced as tears started falling down her son's cheeks. She hugged him tightly and let him sob on her shoulder.  
  
"What happened to you, Daisuke?" she asked, fighting her own tears. "You've been acting so strange lately... I want to help you, Daisuke, but I can't do so unless you tell me what is wrong." Daisuke only kept crying; his mother, patiently awaited for him to feel better before asking further.   
  
Daisuke shrugged himself free of the embrace as he wiped the tears off his face with the sleeve of his shirt. Looking up into her mother's eyes, he felt it was time to confess. "I've fallen in love with someone else," he said. Emiko brightened up slightly, though she was still looking miserable, utterly worried about her beloved son.  
  
"Daisuke, there's nothing wrong in that," she caressed the boy's cheeks lovingly. "You are only fourteen, you can't expect to find true love at once."  
  
"But," Daisuke interrupted her, "I think I have; this time for sure."  
  
Emiko stared at him with a wide grin on her face; her son was too innocent... "Are you sure you have, Daisuke? How do you know this person is your soulmate?"  
  
"I know," the boy started saying, still wiping off his face with the back of his hand. "I know, because I've never felt this way before. I... never imagined I could feel this way either." He then added, as an afterthought, "It is completely different from anything I've felt before."  
  
"What makes it different?"  
  
The inquiries were starting to make Daisuke feel uncomfortable, even more than he already was. But, somehow, he knew that once he'd told his mother what he was going through emotionally, he'd feel better. Just like had happened when he told Riku.  
  
"It's different because... I never thought I could feel like this for someone like..." he stammered again, blushing furiously, then took a deep breath and spat it out /fast and painless/ "...someone like him."  
  
Emiko deadpanned, making Daisuke regret his words. "Him?" she asked for reassurance; Daisuke nodded. "Him," she stated, almost as if tasting the word. "You've fallen in love... with a boy?" Once again, Daisuke nodded; he barely knew where he'd got the courage to do so. "Daisuke," her features relaxed and she smiled. "Is this why you've been so sad?"  
  
"That... and also..." he rubbed frantically at his forehead. He had no idea how he was still talking to her instead of running away and hiding in his closet. "What makes me sad," he said, "is that this guy can't return my feelings."  
  
"He can't? That is impossible, Daisuke, he may not like you but is not because he can't, but because he's simply not attracted to you." Daisuke shook his head. "How is that then? I'm sorry, Daisuke, but I don't understand."  
  
"He can't return my feelings because..." he was going to say it. He knew he would. Not intentionally, but it'd only take a slip of his tongue to say his name. "He just can't. He's... cursed."  
  
At those words, Emiko obviously thought of one boy: Satoshi Hiwatari. As if reading her mind, Daisuke told her "it's not Satoshi." She sighed with relief, making Daisuke snicker. "Enough information," she added mockingly.  
  
"Whoever this boy is, you have to tell him how you feel." Daisuke went red from head to toes, his hair matching the colour of his cheeks. Surely she wasn't expecting him to confess his feelings to... "Don't be sad, Daisuke," she said, hugging her son close to her chest once again. "You never choose who you fall in love with," she added wisely, showing a face Daisuke rarely saw. "Being in love is something beautiful, despite of whom you've fallen in love with." She pierced through her son's eyes with her sweet stare, almost bringing him to tears.  
  
"You have to tell him how you feel, Daisuke," she repeated. "And don't be scared or ashamed, even rejection can be positive. It works as a signal, letting you know that you have to move on." Daisuke thought that her words didn't make sense, but said nothing about it. "Go on, Daisuke, you'll only feel better once you talk to him; think about it."  
  
Then, she let Daisuke go. The boy smiled at her, a genuine smile full of love and gratitude. "Thank you," he said to her, to make his point clearer. He walked to his room then, promising himself that he would think about everything his mother had told him. He had to make up his mind once and for all; was he going to finally tell Dark he loved him?  
  
-o-o-o- _That's it, people; eighth chapter done, only two or three more to go. We're getting closer...  
The end is near, so beware.  
Will Daisuke let Dark know of his feelings?????  
Will Dark ever return those feelings?????  
Will I ever stop using the word 'feelings'?????  
All of this questions and more will be answered in the next chapter... I guess.  
Thanks to the people who reviewed last chapter, I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!  
Review! Review! Review! _


	10. Chapter 9: Hidden feelings

Note: /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics_   
**A/N:** _He... seems like I can't stop using the word 'feelings' after all, eh?_  
  
-o-o-o-

****

Saa, me o tojite._  
Chapter 9: Hidden feelings._

  
  
Wednesday's sun shone brightly through Daisuke's window. There was a soft, warm breeze outside and the boy was eager to just go out and taste that fresh, clean air. He was resolute now; he was going to tell Dark... if he found him.  
  
Daisuke pulled on a pair of socks and his school uniform's trousers and stood up. Rummaging through his untidy drawers, he found the rest of his outfit and hastily put it on. He was tired, but in a relatively good mood. He could barely believe that 'talking things out' was actually good; and really good, at that. His mother had given him a lot to think about, too and that was what had triggered his decision; that final conclusion he'd come to. The only problem was Dark's absence. He was still ignoring -or avoiding- Daisuke, something that made the boy feel rather sad and guilty. But, he thought, everything has its ups and downs. He was sad because Dark didn't want to talk to him -whatever his reasons were- and he was happy because he'd finally confessed. /Wait a--/  
  
Daisuke soon realised that he hadn't told the entire truth to his mother. He had not once uttered the object of his affection's name. In other words, Emiko had no idea he was in love with Dark. His imagination then, started to display different scenes in which his mother found out about his infatuation with the thief. In one of them, she gasped and choked on the tea she'd been drinking and then had a heart-attack. In the next scene, she cried and sobbed that it was unfair for such a young boy to be with such an amazing man; she looked jealous, much to Daisuke's displeasure. In another of those scenes, Emiko simply hugged both Dark and Daisuke happily and scolded the boy for not telling her who his love interest was. Then there were many other scenes, each one different from the last...  
  
And speaking of Rome...  
  
Emiko's screams of "Daisuke, you'll be late!" brought him back to reality. Shaking his head half-amused, he rushed to get his backpack and ran down the stairs into the hall of his house, vaguely aware of the lack of traps. He thanked his mother telepathically. And, yes, he knew his mother couldn't read his mind, but he was so accustomed to talking to himself...  
  
-o-  
  
_Just two more days...  
  
Two more days and everything will be finally over._  
  
-o-  
  
Classes that day went by uneventful. Daisuke arrived home in pretty much the same state in which he had left it; in a rush and daydreaming over silly things. The only things he could recall from his schooling day were Riku's smile, letting him know they were still friends -something that made him really happy- and Satoshi's weird question "did someone drop by your house, yesterday?" What the blue-haired teen had meant, Daisuke had no idea.  
  
As he, once again, got to the comfort of his home without any traps to stop him, Daisuke started to get upset. He had very firmly decided that he would tell Dark the truth, but an unexpected assignment he had to do for tomorrow's art class had made him change his plans unwillingly, if that bit wasn't already clear. It seemed that fate wasn't fond of him, he thought bitterly.  
  
After having a late lunch and chit-chatting with his relatives, he walked up the stairs into the quiet of his room to get started on his project. But, as he gathered all of the materials he needed to create his collage -what he'd been assigned to do- he decided that he'd work better in the attic. That was where he was headed, canvas and a great number of other miscellaneous items, taking careful steps in order not to drop anything on the way.  
  
The Niwa's attic wasn't anything like other family's. This one, instead of an old, unclean place in which people usually store their antiques and photo albums, looked like a living room. It had a few couches as well as a coffee table and there was an immense window, from behind Daisuke could have a broad view of the neighbourhood. He positioned himself in front of the massive windowpane, staring into the clear sky above Azumano. He had to make a collage. Daisuke groaned, he hated collages. And what was even worse, was that this collage was supposed to be a portrait. Who did he want to portray? He couldn't think of anyone... well... almost.  
  
Daisuke started cutting multi-coloured bits of paper. He grabbed a bar of black plasticine and moulded it, smashed it thin and stuck it here and there. The colour papers were added and then he was fumbling through the piles of different kinds of cloth and wool, trying to decide whether to use it or not and how. So many hours seemed to pass by without him even noticing...  
  
"Daisuke?" his mother called from the attic's door, "it's nearly dinner-time, honey." Daisuke told her he'd be at the kitchen in a few minutes and she left. Sighing, he kept on working, so entranced in his emotions that he didn't even know what he was doing, to begin with. It was only after the collage was finished that he took in the portrait's details.  
  
He held a hand up to cover his mouth as he gaped.  
  
-o-  
  
Daisuke woke up on Thursday feeling nervous. He had to show his Art homework to the class and he didn't want to; he had a vague feeling that it would make him feel uncomfortable. Sure, he had done his collage and he was quite happy with the result, although, well... he was a little shocked. By the time he realised he had been making a portrait of Dark Mousy, it was too late to even think of doing anything else. So, nervous as he was and hoping Satoshi wouldn't ask him strange questions, he got dressed and out of the house in a sort of daze. Portrait in hand, without glancing back, he walked in a straight line to Azumano's high school.  
  
"Daisuke!" Takeshi grinned evilly as he approached. He showed his own collage -a badly made up portrait of Agate- and waited eagerly for his friend's opinion.   
  
"Well," Daisuke stammered. What could he say? The portrait was awful, but he cared about Takeshi enough to not say it. "It's... fine," he said finally. That seemed enough for Takeshi who grinned a wider grin and stood aside. However, his eyes got sight of Daisuke's portrait. Frowning as he met his friend's eyes, he smirked.  
  
"I didn't know you were another fan of Dark," he teased. Daisuke blushed fiercely. He turned around and, much to his dismay, caught both Riku and Satoshi staring at him. Sighing, he willed his blush to go away and sat at his desk.   
  
/This is going to be a long, long day,/ he thought miserably.  
  
Just when everyone had settled, the teacher arrived. "Good morning," he said, "have you done your collages?" he asked to the class in general. Most heads nodded; a few tilted to the sides, indicating a half-completed work. All in all, there were some responsible children in there, the teacher thought. "Very well, then. When I call your name, you will come to the front and show your portraits to the rest of the class. I'll make a few questions, you'll hand me your work and I'll mark it and then we'll have a little break." Everyone cheered and he had to call them into silence. "Let me see..."  
  
One by one, the students walked to the front of the class with their portraits. Daisuke watched intently as Riku showed them a portrait of her sister. Risa did the same with her twin; then, Takeshi showed his 'artistic interpretation' of Agate. After that, Daisuke stopped paying attention. He was too nervous about his own work...  
  
"Hiwatari Satoshi," the teacher called and the blue-haired boy walked to the front, canvas in hand. Daisuke's eyes focused on the front of the class again. His gaze met Satoshi's as the boy showed to the class his work, making even the teacher gasp. It was a perfect portrait of a black-winged demon, but... well, it wasn't exactly a portrait then, but it was so very well done that the teacher forgave him and only lowered his grade for not paying attention to the instructions. After answering a few questions, Satoshi went back to his desk, never leaving Daisuke's gaze.  
  
The teacher called tiredly "Niwa Daisuke," and the boy shyly walked to the front of the class, gripping his canvas viciously. He showed it to the class, making girls giggle and boys tease him. "Dark... Mousy?" the teacher asked, perplexed. Not even the girls had thought of him as a model for their works and that made Daisuke feel just as uncomfortable as he had predicted. He hoped he wouldn't blush; that would be disastrous.  
  
"Okay," the teacher sighed; a smile was plastered to his lips as he asked Daisuke "why did you choose him?"  
  
What could he say? He didn't really choose him, it was more like a coincidence. He started working... and then he appeared out of the blue. It was like magic. "Well," he started saying as he invented a reason in his head, "I once saw him on TV and I thought he would make a good picture." Everyone started snickering; Satoshi was smirking, though. Daisuke thought it was odd.  
  
"Do you think he's a photogenic person?"  
  
Daisuke didn't trust himself anymore after the snickers directed towards him. Instead, he simply remained silent and nodded his response. "Well," the teacher admitted, "I think so, too and I also think your portrait is among the best ones I've seen." Daisuke handed him his work and walked to his desk, a minute later, the teacher told him "you've earned yourself an A, Niwa."  
  
/At least I got something positive out of this,/ he sighed to himself as he buried his burning face in his hands.  
  
A few more minutes passed and class was finally allowed to have a break; Daisuke practically ran out of the room. Once outside, he regretted having done so.  
  
"Niwa-kun!"  
  
/Damn./  
  
"Now, why the unappealing grimace, Niwa-kun? It won't take me long..."  
  
"Saga," Daisuke said, face as white as a sheet of paper; he had completely forgotten about their 'agreement' or lack thereof. He was sure the blond man was there only to threaten him into agreeing with his plan.  
  
"Don't get all nervous around me," he smiled a toothy grin at Daisuke, who was still staring at him apprehensively. "I've come to tell you that the offer stands no more," he said merrily, as if it were an everyday thing for him to threaten people and then take back his words. But, considering the person in front of him, Daisuke thought that was quite likely.  
  
"I beg you pardon?" Daisuke asked disbelieving.  
  
"You heard," Saga simply said. Maybe Funabashi had talked some sense into him or something; this man wouldn't change his mind this suddenly, specially considering his obsession with Dark. "I've also come to give you this," he said as he fumbled with the tight, tight pocket of his tight, tight pants. Daisuke blushed and looked away. Smirking and giggling internally, Saga finally succeeded in taking the golden key from his pocket. "Here," he chirped as he pressed the item onto Daisuke's palm, "I'm sure you'll find this useful."  
  
Saga lingered for a while, his fingers gracing the soft skin of Daisuke's palm in a teasing manner. He loved having this kind of power over people; he knew he was gorgeous, after all. And to be honest, he had to admit he thought the boy was rather cute. Though he still preferred Dark's sexy look...  
  
"Goodbye, Niwa-kun."  
  
Daisuke was left staring at the blond's retreating back, his palm still turned upwards, holding the key; his skin felt clammy from his nerves and he was positive his entire face was red with embarrassment. Keiji Saga was one weird guy...  
  
"By the way," the blond yelled when he had almost reached his car, "your collage was lovely!"  
  
Yep; very weird a guy...  
  
-o-  
  
Classes were over in the blink of an eye. Either that, or Daisuke could not concentrate on anything but the golden key in his shirt's pocket. Anyway, the boy couldn't feel more grateful; he wanted nothing but to reach his home, have a hot meal and crawl into bed. Tomorrow promised to be one difficult day and he wanted to be well rested. He also wanted to tell Dark everything he was feeling, but he hadn't found the right time to do it and Dark was still ignoring him. But that was beside the point.  
  
He gathered up his books and left the room, Satoshi following close. "Do you mind if I walk with you?" his blue-haired companion asked. He shook his head, nothing could go any worse and he might even learn a thing or to about the Curse of the Twilight. So the boys walked out of the school in silence, Satoshi feeling uncharacteristically out of place. Daisuke wanted to speak, but he didn't know what to say. He could see Satoshi's expressions and he didn't look all that comfortable; he didn't want to make him feel worse.  
  
"Niwa-kun," the boy risked after a while. "I just wanted to tell you that..." he sighed; this was not as easy as he'd imagined. "Even though I, um, like you... well, it doesn't mean..." Satoshi shut up abruptly. Blushing a bright red colour he cursed loudly, all of a sudden dashing away from Daisuke. The boy was left feeling even more confused than he'd been when the blue-haired boy had started speaking. However, he had a bad feeling about Satoshi's sudden departure and so he ran the last couple of blocks, stopping only once he'd reached the safety of his home.  
  
His mother was waiting for him, as usual. She frowned at his unexpected and rather unfashionable entrance, but he simply shook his head, dismissing further inquiries. Emiko then hugged him and told him lunch was already served. Finally able to breathe normally, Daisuke followed her to the kitchen.  
  
-o-  
  
_You're breaking my heart, Satoshi...  
  
...just like he did back then..._  
  
-o-  
  
Daisuke sneezed. Dark would have done it himself, but he hadn't a body of his own to do so. _Someone must be thinking about me... _he thought, secretly hoping for that someone to be Daisuke. Sighing, he simply stared off into the black distance. He was bored, having nothing to do and no one to talk to. But it had been his fault anyway, so he hadn't the right to complain. The reason why he's been so oddly quiet -something he knew intrigued his tamer- was that he'd spoken too much. For that, there was no one to blame but himself.  
  
He thought he was stupid to avoid Daisuke since the boy probably had no idea of his feelings, but a nagging pain in his stomach told him it would be best to remain hidden for a while, until Daisuke had forgotten about his slip. If only he knew how mistaken he was...  
  
All that his absence was doing was to pile up different ideas and conclusions in the boy's mind, one more hilarious and inaccurate than the last. Still, even when he knew -somewhere deep inside of himself- that he was making things more complicated, he couldn't bring himself to face Daisuke. He knew himself well enough; if he were given the opportunity, he would confess everything to the boy. He would confess everything he himself couldn't understand and didn't fully believe in.  
  
_Life is difficult, but love... love is simply impossible._  
  
-o-  
  
That night, Daisuke crawled under the sheets. His bed was soft against his aching back -too much stress, he thought- and the warm embrace of cotton made him squirm with delight. A decent end to a long, tiring day. Staring at the golden key resting on his nightstand, he wished Dark would at least wish him a good night's sleep. Sighing, he thought to himself expecting Dark to hear him, /Dark, Saga gave me a fancy-looking key. I think you should have a look at it; it might be the key to open the Hikari's vaults./  
  
No response. Sighing once again, this time bitterly, he turned to his side and closed his eyes. He thought he'd fallen asleep too quickly, for he heard a soft, deep voice in his dreams; it sounded far away and he vaguely made out the words, but he thought it said:  
  
_Goodnight, Daisuke._  
  
-o-o-o- _Mwahahahahahaaaaaa!!! I'm leaving it at that.   
  
The end is near!!! And yet, you may still be thinking: "what the hell is Saga doing in this story?" Well, let me answer your question: I've no idea. I simply love that character and wanted to include him, even if he only made both Daisuke's life and mine a lot more difficult. Oh, whatever...   
  
I hope you liked this chapter! In the next one, the story finally reaches its climax. It will be Friday; you know what will happen on Friday, don't you? Heh... thought so. Have faith!! I've already changed the ending a thousand times so it would fit the unexpected changes I made to the story. For one, Saga wasn't supposed to appear... but I needed to fill up the space somehow, you know. And I DO love him dearly, that Saga guy... Anyway... got off track. REVIEW, please!!!!!!!!!!!! _


	11. Chapter 10: Once again

Note: /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics  
_**A/N:** In this chapter, _italics_ also represent scenes from Dark's past.  
  
-o-o-o-

****

Saa, me o tojite._  
Chapter 10: Once again._

  
  
Friday, the dreaded day, had arrived. Daisuke gazed at his watch; 8 p.m. There was a knock on the door and he already knew who it was. "Daisuke?" Emiko approached him with a nervous smile. "It's time for Dark to..." but she never finished her sentence. The legendary thief Dark Mousy appeared before her, looking sullen and upset. "I'll just leave these here..." Emiko said, laying a pile of neatly folded clothes on a corner of Daisuke's bed. She slowly backed away, suddenly feeling strangely awkward in the thief's presence.  
  
"Thank you," Dark mumbled lazily, feeling rather guilty for the reaction he'd caused in the woman's behaviour. She smiled at him, this time feeling a bit more comfortable, and left the room, closing the door behind her. Dark then proceeded to put on his clothes. Daisuke was poking in his mind, he could feel him, but he wasn't saying a word.  
  
_I guess it's time then..._ he thought as he checked the watch around his wrist, Daisuke's. He picked the mysterious key from the boy's nightstand and walked to the door of the room. He stepped outside, slowly but determinedly making his way downstairs to the front door where Emiko and the rest of the Niwas were waiting for him.  
  
Emiko was the first to say something. Well, she didn't exactly say anything; actually, she just jumped to where Dark was and hugged him tightly. The thief was surprised at first, but then he returned the embrace and whispered soothing words in the woman's ear. When they pulled back, he could see her crying; apparently, she didn't think things would go well. Smiling, he told her to have a little faith and her face brightened a bit. "Good luck," she said and stepped out of his way. Kosuke nodded his head -Dark didn't understand what he meant- and Daiki wished him luck and told him that whatever happened, there would always be something positive to take from the experience. Dark would have been better off without hearing those words; somehow, they depressed him. And, finally, as he pressed his hand on the doorknob, he heard the one voice he needed at the time. The one voice he'd been carefully trying to avoid, trying to block from his hearing.  
  
/Everything will be alright, Dark. It always is, in the end; you said so./  
  
_I know, Daisuke,_ he answered shyly after a while. _I know._  
  
-o-  
  
Dark arrived to the Hikari Ancient Home only minutes after he left the Niwas'. Wiz was now perched on his shoulder as he walked through the familiar gardens into the back of the house, where the vaults were. Daisuke was silent again and -maybe for the first time in days- that made him upset. Perhaps he was just nervous and needed a reassuring voice to soothe him, perhaps he just missed him; whatever the reasons, he now hated the silence between them. And Wiz... the only words it could say were "kyu" and "daisuki," neither of which he wanted to hear at the moment.  
  
He took the key from his pocket and looked at it as he walked forward. It was a bright yellowish colour, pure gold, and there were symbols engraved on its surface. He snickered to himself as he thought that even the Hikari's keys were works of art. Dark came to a stop. A large, white marble vault was standing proudly before his eyes; its golden lock waiting to meet its partner. Dark was gladly willing to co-operate, after all, there was nothing he wanted more than to put an end to all of his misery once and for all.   
  
"Not so fast, Dark," a cold voice drawled behind his back, "not before we sort things out."  
  
He turned around to face the blond he knew was standing behind him. "What do you want us to sort out, Krad? There's nothing between us."  
  
"Oh, but you see..." the blond said as he walked closer to him. "There are things you took for granted; lives you destroyed just to get away with your wishes. Or have you forgotten, Dark, everything that happened in the past? Have you forgotten who you were? Have you forgotten why you are who you are today?"  
  
Dark was growing more and more impatient with each second that passed. Krad knew something he didn't and that was more than enough to keep him worried. "What are you talking about?" he asked angrily, spitting out the words as if they were poisoned.  
  
Krad only giggled evilly. "I see," he smiled sadistically, "apparently, the Eldest put a charm on you; he blocked your memory. But don't worry," he said as he stepped even closer to Dark. "I have the power to make you remember a thing or two..." Krad then threw a bright blast of magic to Dark's chest, making him wince in pain as the images returned to his brain and he fell to his knees in exhaustion.  
  
-o-  
  
"Come here, you idiot!" whispered Saga to one frustrated Funabashi as he ducked behind a large headstone, his camera firmly gripped in his hands. The man obeyed, though he didn't stop a few comments from slipping; the angry blond would have clenched his fists weren't his hands busy holding the camera. "Shut up!" he hissed, focusing the lens in the scene taking place in front of him, by the Hikari's vaults entrance. "So that is what the key was for..." he thought aloud as he observed Dark, who was talking to a blond guy he'd never seen before.  
  
-o-  
  
_"Tadao Hikari; there is only one name, but two different people behind it."  
  
"The magic bonding them..."  
  
"I'll never understand."  
  
"They can talk to each other."  
  
"Krad?"  
  
"I love you, Dark."  
  
"Can you see me?"  
  
"I can hear you."  
  
"What are we?"  
  
"Who is she?"  
  
"Satori Niwa... I'm in love with you."  
  
"The Niwas... our enemies..."  
  
"I don't care."  
  
"The Eldest will know what to do."  
  
"I don't want to be a Hikari anymore."  
  
"You shall be punished."  
  
"Satori..."  
  
"You'll be forever dependent on those you chose over your own name."  
  
"There is a curse inside the pendant."  
  
"Ancient dark magic..."  
  
"Dark... you're breaking my heart."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"The body... it's dividing into two separate corpses."  
  
"All that is left of them is a shadow."  
  
"Throw it away..."  
  
"One day... one of them will come to life again."  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"I'll hurt you... just like you hurt me."_  
  
-o-  
  
"I'll kill you." He recognised the voice; it was the same cold voice that told him he loved him and then tried to hurt him. Krad's voice. The blond was lying on top of him, his nose gently nuzzling the side of his neck. Dark remained still for another while, petrified in shock. All of those things he'd remembered, he didn't know if they were true.  
  
"Were they true?" he asked to no one in particular, savouring the words to make them real. Krad snickered, his breath tickling the skin of Dark's neck. "Were they true?" he repeated. Krad said nothing. Dark was getting more upset with each passing second and his nerves were betraying him. He had started to shake, a slight shiver, but Krad noticed it nonetheless and couldn't help teasing him about it. The blond tilted his head back so he could stare into the thief's eyes. "So lifeless... just how I love you," he said as he moved forward and pressed his lips to Dark's.   
  
The thief, feeling helpless, did nothing to shake him off. He let the tears flow freely as he lost his gaze in the endless sky; the same sky he'd spent hours and hours staring at. And that big, bright moon... the same moon he had sang to only days ago. Suddenly, as another image showed in his mind, he pushed Krad away from him. His eyes focused in the realm surrounding him; the time and space of this present. He held Krad's gaze for a short instant before rolling over and pushing himself on top of the blond. "It was real," he acknowledged after a moment, "but not to me." He moved his hands quickly, wrapping them around Krad's neck; with an unusual glint of hate in his eyes, he squeezed tightly, choking the blond who couldn't move due to the weight on his body. Dark was enjoying every bit of that moment, it was the least Krad deserved; he had ruined his life and now he was going to take his. Krad's eyes were now unfocused and empty, their life fading away into nothing. Dark was resolute; he was going to kill him.   
  
/Dark!/ a voice cried loudly in his mind, /please, don't kill Satoshi-kun!/  
  
_Daisuke!_ Dark repeated the name to himself as his eyes grew wide. This wasn't himself; he wouldn't kill someone, not even when that someone was the one who destroyed him. _Daisuke,_ he repeated, as the scenes replayed once again in his mind. His head ached, but the scenes wouldn't stop tormenting him. His skin went numb as he shivered with cold; he started sweating uncontrollably and he wanted to retch, but nothing stopped those images from clouding his thoughts. With a lot of effort, Dark focused on the present time once again; Krad wasn't beneath him anymore. He hated himself at that moment; he had lost his prey and that made him angry. He stood up from the floor, clutching his head in his hands. The pain was still unbearable, but hate was blurring his vision and it became the only thing he could see; that, and Krad's form standing weakly in front of him.  
  
"I'll be the one to break you."  
  
_Forgive me, Daisuke..._ A black swirl of energy, magic in its purest state, accumulated power in Dark's hand. The hate and the resentment cursing through the thief's blood only helped to poison that energy, causing Daisuke to flinch in pain inside the thief's mind. _Everything will be alright in the end_, he repeated like a mantra._  
  
Everything will be alright._  
  
Dark screamed in agony as the blast of dark magic shot from his palm into the blond angel's direction. Krad dodged the attack and prepared one of his own, shooting white rays to the thief. Sparks of magic flew in every direction; a white spark exploded violently next to a pile of old headstones. Keiji Saga fell to the ground, unconscious. Dark noticed the man and, for a brief instant, got distracted; Krad seized the opportunity to throw yet another blast of energy to him, this time hitting his chest. Dark kneeled on the ground, out of breath; the same old images started playing and replaying in his mind and he felt his blood boiling as the anger returned full force into his body. He couldn't die; he couldn't let Krad steal his life from him once again.  
  
He couldn't let him take Daisuke away from him.  
  
Dark stood up, his hurt chest screaming in pain. His eyes had narrowed into slits, their colour almost golden in the darkness of night; his dirty, bleeding hands shook with loath. Krad couldn't believe his eyes; he thought he'd finally killed Dark, but the thief was standing before him, looking murderous. He smirked; the battle wasn't going to last long, anyway. He couldn't let Dark win; he had to pay for everything he did in the past. His sins needed a just redemption and Krad needed revenge. Dark had to die.  
  
Two identical blasts of magic shot from each other's hands; crimson stars, the colour of blood, made their way into their targets' direction. Dark leapt to his left, only thinking about protecting Daisuke as much as he could. Krad wasn't fast enough, though. The bright reddish stars pierced his chest, sending him flying in the air. His head hit the cold earth and his eyelids closed; he was unconscious.  
  
Not pausing for rest, Dark walked to the vaults' door. He turned the key in its lock and the black iron gate opened. Making sure Daisuke was alright -which he was, though quite weak- he stepped inside. The room was big and covered in shadows and the walls were lined with dry flowers; in the furthest wall there was a single coffin, which seemed odd to Dark. If this was, indeed, a vault, there should be more than just one coffin. Still, he wasn't going to complain; this place was horrible enough as it was.  
  
Inhaling deeply as he gathered the courage to move, he looked at the wall in front of him. Above the coffin, there was a golden plaque. Suddenly curious, he walked forward. The ground beneath him was cold like the earth outside and he could feel his feet cooling through his leather boots. His breath came out in foggy clouds and his hands started to shake, but he was already so close that he couldn't stop moving. It was as if he was being drawn by a magnet to the golden plaque.  
  
He was now standing by the coffin, his eyes only inches from the plaque. He inclined his head to read:  
  
Tadao Hikari  
1567-1583  
  
Dark froze. He couldn't remember how to breathe, anymore. _So... it had been real. The dream I had... it wasn't a dream. It was real. This body... it belonged to me?_ He couldn't take it anymore, he had to look inside. He knew it would be pointless and that the only thing he would find was probably going to be a pile of rotten bones, but he had to do it; he had to know if everything was real.  
  
He removed the lid from the coffin, holding his breath. He felt filthy and regretted every single one of his movements, but he couldn't stop. Something inside him told him that whatever happened, it would be worth his actions. Finally, he saw it. Emptiness. There was nothing in the coffin, but a note and... a pendant; the Curse of the Twilight. He picked up the sheet of paper and read the message written on it. It only said: I knew you were going to do it. He frowned upon the words, he didn't understand exactly what they meant. Shrugging, he turned to the only other object that lay inside the coffin. His forehead was bathed in sweat by now and his hands felt clammy as he picked up the pendant. It was now or never, he thought, as he pulled the Curse of the Twilight on. The black stone shone opaque on his chest and he was mesmerised by the swirling rays of silver in the little diamond's surface. It was just as beautiful as the first time he saw it, though it wasn't until then that he noticed those weird lights sparkling in the stone's centre.  
  
Still staring at those crazy lights, he became dizzy. He yawned, suddenly feeling sleepy as a black fog blurred his vision. Maybe he was just passing out. Perhaps the Curse was already taking effect. Maybe... maybe he was dying.  
  
Black was everything he could see; endless darkness. Something he was accustomed to, yet this time he felt scared and uneasy. This wasn't like anything he'd seen before. Daisuke's voice rung in his ears: everything will be alright. And he hoped with all of his might that it would be; at least for Daisuke's sake. Then he heard hissing sounds, like a snake that bared his fangs ready to strike... the sudden cold...  
  
"What is your wish?"  
  
That was the last thing he heard before being wrapped in a whirl of red threads, the only coloured things in this colourless world. He felt like he was choking, the threads cutting through his skin, so tight they were; his life was being squeezed from his body like juice. "What is your wish?" the voice repeated. He didn't know what to say, he couldn't think about anything else but the pain he was experiencing. "What is your wish?" it kept repeating, each time louder. Dark was crying, salty tears of pain left marks on his pale cheeks. He wanted to stop suffering. He didn't want to cry anymore, he wanted to heal once and for all. His eyes widened. He wanted to live.  
  
The red threads tightened even more around his body until he felt his consciousness slip; he was fading away into the black nothingness around him, his body disintegrating, being massacred by those threads. This time he knew he was dying. And deep inside, as he faded into oblivion, he prayed that Daisuke was going to be alright as he promised him...  
  
-o-  
  
"congratulations, Dark, your wish has finally been granted."  
  
The ghostly figure of Krad that had emanated from Satoshi's body dissipated into nothing. The blue-haired boy lay still on the ground, his chest heaving with each painful breath. His eyes were cloaked with tears and he was shivering from head to toe. He felt hollow and alone; Krad wasn't a part of him anymore. In fact, he wasn't real anymore. Those last words he said let Satoshi know of the result of the ancestral match.  
  
Finally, he thought, the battle is over.  
  
The distinctive sound of a stone smashing into the ground and breaking into bits was the last thing he needed to hear to confirm his suspicions. The battle was, indeed, over.  
  
He won.  
  
-o-o-o-

_Ahhhhh!! Next chapter's the last!! Waaaaahhhhhh.... I loved this story from the beginning, I hope you're liking it just as much. Oh, well... just stay logged for the final chapter of "Saa, me o tojite!"  
  
By the way, this is a meaningless note but... I took the name Tadao from the character of Ghost Sweeper Mikami, Tadao Yokoshima. I love him, he's amazing!! I'm in love with those series...   
  
Reviews are welcome, now more than ever. I need an ego boost-up!! Aaaand... if I don't get at least ten reviews, I won't update!! (I'm so mean, I know...) _


	12. Chapter 11: Separate ways

Note: /.../ «-- Daisuke's thoughts Dark's thoughts --» _italics  
_**A/N:** I know I said I wouldn't update but... I'm a nice girl and besides... baka-chibi-puffs? No one in his/her right mind would take the time to do what you did. I LOVE YOU!!!!!! All of you, fangirls, you can thank her for these two (yes, 2) updates.  
  
-o-o-o-

****

Saa, me o tojite._  
Chapter 11: Separate ways._

  
  
Dark opened his eyes; taking an examining look around, he realised he was in a hospital room. The white walls, the cold iron bed, that unbearable smell of disinfectant... yes, it just had to be a hospital. He wondered for a while about the possible reasons for his being there; he couldn't remember much of what had happened that night, except...  
  
_Daisuke..._  
  
He sat bolt upright with a start. He now remembered... he had put on the pendant and then he had been embraced by complete darkness. There were also red threads tightly wrapping themselves around him, choking him; and that voice... that voice that asked him what his wish was. But all he could think of was Daisuke. No matter how hard he tried to concentrate on his will to live, the only image in his mind was that redheaded boy. Daisuke... and then... emptiness. The same emptiness he was feeling at that exact same moment, in the apparent solitude of the hospital room.   
  
One thing was sure, though; he was alive. That meant that the voice, the being behind it, it had granted his wish. But that overwhelming emptiness... that had to be a bad omen. Daisuke wasn't within him anymore; he couldn't feel him. Then, what had happened to him...?  
  
Dark swung his legs over the edge of the bed and jumped off of it. His feet felt numb and he had to hold on to the iron edges of the bed to stop him from collapsing on the ground. His knees were shaking, something he couldn't remember ever having happened to him, and he was shivering from head to toes. To make matters even worse, his stomach ached and he felt nauseous. Dark forced his feet to move and slowly, step by step, he made his way to the bathroom without tripping. Once there, he maniacally dashed for the toilette and threw up.  
  
Wiping his mouth dry with a piece of toilet paper, he unsteadily stood up. He walked to the sink to wash himself; the splashing of water over his tired face felt heavenly. He stood there for a while, enjoying the cool feel of water in his hands before he reached for the towel to dry himself off. Looking up at the mirror in front of him, he screamed.  
  
"KYAAAAAAAAAA!"  
  
_My face... Daisuke's...  
  
It's all my fault..._  
  
A soft chuckle behind him brought his attention back to the room. The towel left forgotten on the floor, he left the bathroom and came to a halt when he saw someone he wasn't expecting, sitting on the bed.   
  
Satoshi Hiwatari smiled up at him and stood up. "I think you should lie down for a while longer," he said. Dark was still rooted to the spot, the look of horror still intact on his face. "Relax," the blue-haired boy laughed as he walked to where the thief was standing, "it's just a concealing charm." Dark was looking even more confused than he had been before, when he had seen Daisuke's face staring back at him from the mirror's surface. Satoshi sighed, he knew he would have to do a lot of explaining when the time came.  
  
"You're wearing the Mask of the Denouncer," he explained as he led Dark to the bed so he would sit down. "I take it, you don't know much about the things you've stolen, right?" Dark nodded, half-smiling nervously. He couldn't understand why someone who had always wanted to arrest him was being so nice to him. "This Mask, as any other work or art of the Hikaris, has magical power. The charm within, works so that the face of the one who wears the mask, takes the shape of the face of the one he loves."  
  
Dark looked away from Satoshi; he was blushing a bright red colour. So, that was it; Satoshi now knew that he liked Daisuke. Great, just what he needed... but then again, and speaking about Daisuke, he knew Satoshi was in love with the boy, but he didn't look sad or even slightly worried. That might mean...  
  
"You should consider yourself lucky," Satoshi went on, "you could've turned into a breastless woman..."  
  
"You know," Dark spoke, his voice feeling rusty and harsh from lack of use, "I'm not exactly in the mood for jokes." Satoshi only smiled at him and chuckled some more. "Say," Dark started saying as he tried to remove the mask, "what happened to...?"  
  
"Daisuke?" Satoshi completed the question for him, his face darkening for a moment. "He's fine," he told the thief, who breathed in relief. "He's really worried, though," he said, staring pointedly at Dark, who stared back at him, unsure of what to make of that weird look he was getting from Satoshi.   
  
"Is he worried... about me?"  
  
Satoshi nodded. Dark let his gaze drop to the floor in embarrassment. Even though he knew it wasn't really his fault that the boy was feeling like that, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He didn't deserve Daisuke's concern. Looking up, he found that Satoshi was still staring at him. "What am I doing here?" he asked him. He had no idea of what exactly had happened and why he was locked in a hospital room; he didn't even know what day it was. The only thing he knew was that his suspicions had been correct and that the Curse of the Twilight had finally freed him; he now had a body of his own, a life of his own.   
  
Satoshi sighed. He walked to the bed and sat by Dark's side. "A week ago -last Friday, to be precise- you went to the Hikari graveyard to get the Curse of the Twilight. Krad was there, you two had a fight and you won; that much I'm sure you remember." Dark nodded. "Well, I didn't see anything else, so I don't know what happened inside the vaults. But... when I opened my eyes... it was myself that was lying on the ground. Krad was just a shadowy figure hovering over me, with smiling yet sad eyes; I'd never see him like that before. It was almost... heart-breaking. But, anyway, I remember he said your wish had finally been granted and then... he just vanished. I knew then that your curse had been broken and that you had won the battle, Dark.  
  
"Then, I stood up and walked to the vaults. I was surprised at first, to find Emiko Niwa kneeling by her son's side, but then again... she always shows up in the most unexpected situations. I also remember... the look of utter disgust on her face when he saw me standing by the door of the vault. But then, as I apologised and talked to her, that look disappeared. She just listened to my ideas and helped me get you both safe. We took Daisuke home and she gave me this mask. I put it on your face, already knowing whom you would look like, and took you to this hospital for treatment. You were close to death, Dark, but I couldn't risk bringing you here without some sort of disguise. After all, you still are the legendary thief Dark Mousy."  
  
Dark was back to staring at the floor; his eyes were expressionless and his limbs didn't seem to respond to his commands. He was immobile, petrified in shock after the information overdose. When he did look up, though, it was to do the unexpected. "I'm sorry," he said. Satoshi was now the one looking shocked. "I'm sorry for having been a burden in your already complicated life. I'm sorry for stealing all of those works of art that belonged to your family. I'm sorry. I'm just... sorry." Tears were flowing freely over his pale cheeks now, his back shaking with silent but desperate sobs. He took the mask from the pillow where he'd left it and handed it to Satoshi. "I'll get everything else I've stolen and I'll return it to you, it's the least I can do for you; and even then, it wouldn't be enough to repay you for all of your help today and this past week." After saying those last words, he turned his back to the boy and walked away; however, before he could make it past the doorway and into the hall, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.  
  
"Do you know why you became a thief now?"  
  
Without looking back, the thief answered him. "I became a thief so I could gather enough magical power to make the Curse of the Twilight work and break the charm bonding me to the Niwas. Am I right or wrong?"  
  
"The Curse of the Twilight's only power, as ironical as it sounds, is to borrow power from other sources." Satoshi explained, a smirk evident on his voice. "It wouldn't have worked on its own. From the very beginning, your prime target had been that pendant, but it would have been useless hadn't you stolen all of those other works of art. To activate the countercurse within, the Curse of the Twilight needs the totality of the Hikaris' power. It's like the last piece of a big and intricate puzzle.  
  
"An old, tattered book I found in the Hikari Ancient Home's library helped me understand your separation and Krad's death. Apparently, it depended on love. You had to find the true love of your life, the one that would make you whole. You met Daisuke then and slowly and almost without realising it, you fell in love with him. This love you felt, even though it was disguised as mere fondness, maybe even gratitude, was what made you whole. Krad wasn't lucky enough to find the love of his life because he could never get over you. Therefore, when you put on the pendant, despite your being in denial, your curse was broken; because you felt whole and because you wanted nothing but to have your life returned to you. And since Krad and yourself had once been the same person... this part's hard to explain..."  
  
"Since he and I were the same person," Dark carried on with the explanation, "now that I am whole he's an unwanted leftover. So, instead of lurking in the shadows like a ghost, he just disappeared. Yes... apparently, I won." And then he just walked out into the hall, leaving Satoshi feeling strangely pleased with himself. Freedom wasn't something he was accustomed to and he supposed Dark was even worse off than himself. "Oh, Father is going to be very disappointed..." he snickered as he himself walked out of the room and into the hospital's hall.   
  
-o-  
  
/I wonder.../  
  
Daisuke had been doing nothing in the last two weeks but think. He had no idea where Dark was or if he was alright. The only thing he knew was that he was alive, because his mother had told him so. How was she to know that that affirmation would only serve to make him worry. Of course, Dark was alive, but he could be only a foot from the grave without him even knowing; he could have been caught by Satoshi, he could have been run over by a car and many other things. Daisuke wanted to know not only if Dark was alive, but also if he was feeling alright. But then, every time he thought about that, he supposed that if he really were alright, he would have come for him. But of course, that could have been just him, daydreaming.  
  
Still, he wanted to know many things. For one, he wanted to know what Keiji Saga had been doing at the Hikari graveyard that last Friday and how he had got there. He remembered having seen the guy's face from Dark's eyes while he was fighting with Krad. He had seen the blast of magic erupting from the blond's hand and exploding in Saga's chest. Sure, he never liked the man, but that didn't mean he deserved what he'd got that night. Still, Daisuke thought a little maliciously, it had been his fault for interfering in the first place.  
  
The phone rang; Daisuke could hear the annoying sound from the attic, where he was at the time. He had been drawing multiple black and white Darks on his sketchbook. "Daisuke?" his mother called him from downstairs, "there's a phone-call for you."  
  
Thinking it was just Riku or maybe Takeshi to ask how he was -he hadn't been to school since that last Friday- he groaned. He stomped down the steps to the hall and down more steps into the living room, where the phone was. Emiko was waiting for him and threw a worried look at him when he picked the receiver. "Yes?"  
  
"Niwa Daisuke."  
  
He knew that voice. That arrogant hint in its tone, the way it savoured each word like candy... it was none other than Keiji Saga. The same person he'd been thinking about only minutes ago. "Saga?" he asked for reassurance, "is that you?"  
  
"The same that walks and talks... well... the same that talks, at least. I'll start walking again next week, I hope."  
  
How could someone talk in such a nonchalant way about something so serious with such grave consequences, Daisuke couldn't understand. He just shook his head in disbelief; some things would never change. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked without even thinking.  
  
"Actually," Saga started saying, making Daisuke wince, "you could try to forgive me for being such a pain in the arse for both you and Dark."  
  
The boy could barely believe his ears. Surely the Keiji Saga he knew wouldn't apologise for something like that; after all, it was his job to make people uncomfortable, or so he thought. But still, the sudden seriousness in his voice made obvious that he wasn't joking. He was truly sorry for the troubles he'd caused. "This is rather unexpected," Daisuke laughed truthfully. "Yes... I think I can forgive you." Saga sighed with relief. "But," he feared for a moment, "I'll only do it if you tell me how you got to the graveyard. No one but Dark, myself and the Hikari descendants knew where the meeting was bound to be."  
  
"Well, at least that's a question I can answer..." he thought aloud, making Daisuke giggle. "You see, the Hikari kid gave me a key -I think you know which one I'm talking about- and told me to give it to you. Why he didn't want to give it to you himself, I had no idea. That's what made me wonder what was exactly going on; I wanted to know what was the connection between you three -or rather, four-.  
  
"I put a microscopic chip to track the key's location so I'd know what the thing was for and where Dark would be. Because I knew, and I always did, that you and Dark were the same person. The Hikari kid wanted you to have the key so Dark would be able -and this I found out later at the graveyard- to open the vault's lock. Also... I found out more than I had intended to. I now know the story between you; I know about the Curse, about the blond, creepy guy... I know almost everything. And... this is what made me phone you. I wanted to let you know that if I had known the story, I wouldn't have made your lives so difficult. So, I'm truly sorry."  
  
Daisuke didn't say a word. He didn't know what to say, anyway. Instead, he just told Saga he forgave him and asked him if he knew anything about Dark. Saga stammered for a while, making Daisuke suspect he was hiding something. Still, the guy only told him that he was sure the thief was perfectly fine. "You, just relax, he'll show up eventually. I'm sure he has a lot of things to think about and not enough time to dwell on each of them. Go, watch a movie, maybe some anime or something. Everything will be alright... in the end."  
  
"Saga?"  
  
/He hung up./  
  
The boy lingered with the receiver in his hand for a while. Those words... had they been just a coincidence, or had Saga hinted something...? He shook his head, he was thinking too much. He should do what the man had told him to, relax. He walked to the nearest couch and sat down. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV, zapping through the different channels. It was almost midnight, he was sure there was a channel that aired Ranma 1/2 at this time... However, his finger stopped pushing the 'channel up' button when his zapping led him to TV Tokyo.  
  
Dark was there, giving a press conference between Satoshi Hiwatari and Keiji Saga, who looked as smug as he had always been. He couldn't believe his eyes; what was Dark doing there? Soon, he'd find out.  
  
-o-  
  
"...so, given the conditions and the fact that he returned each and every item he'd stolen, I, Satoshi Hiwatari, the last descendant of the Hikaris, have decided not to press charges against him."  
  
A round of questions that varied from the obvious and annoying "why?" to the puzzling and rather pointless "is that possible, given your change of surname?" Satoshi only answered each question patiently and very politely, his smile firmly plastered on his lips. Though, this time it wasn't a sincere smile. Saga had convinced him to go along this press conference thing to clear things up and to give Dark the life he had longed for. He had to admit that the idea was good, but what he didn't like was the constant publicity for Saga Entertainment's new documentary "Dark Mousy: True Light."  
  
Dark was looking more uncomfortable than he was, though. He had barely spoken since the conference started and even though there were thousands of questions directed to him, he wasn't answering them. In fact, he only spoke when either Saga or Satoshi asked him to. He had other things in mind... Daisuke, for one. He wanted to get this conference over and done with so he could finally talk to the boy. He had to tell him...  
  
_I love him._  
  
-o-  
  
Daisuke sneezed. "Someone must be thinking about you..." Emiko teased him, making him jump. He hadn't noticed her entering the room. "I see Dark's not half as bad as I last saw him."   
  
"You _saw_ him?" the boy asked. Emiko regretted having spoken.  
  
"Yes, I saw him," Emiko admitted to her son, feeling ashamed for having lied to him in such an important matter. "I was the one who helped Hiwatari-san get him to the hospital, after we brought you here."  
  
"But that wasn't the last time you saw him, right?"  
  
"Yes, you're right. I also saw him three nights ago, when he came here to take the works of art of the Hikaris to give them back to their last descendant. But I'm sure you've heard about that in the conference..."  
  
"Yes, Satoshi-kun said he wouldn't press charges against him. And Saga made a documentary, but that's besides the point." He sighed, rubbing his face with his hands; he just wanted to see Dark, why hadn't he come back for him?  
  
In the TV, Dark sneezed.  
  
"You're thinking about him," Emiko stated between giggles.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me he'd come?" Daisuke asked her mother seriously, feeling not only disappointed but also sad. Couldn't he even trust his own mother?   
  
"He asked me not to do it."  
  
The answer was short and it brought many questions to Daisuke's mind. Why hadn't he wanted him to find out of his visit? Maybe... he didn't want to see him anymore. Maybe he had find the person he was in love with and didn't need him anymore. Maybe he didn't have other choice, Satoshi could have threatened him and Saga could have extorted him with who-knows-what. /Nah, Dark wouldn't surrender easily to them. There has to be another explanation.../  
  
"Didn't he tell you why?" Daisuke asked, needing at least one reason, never mind how hurtful, to understand Dark's behaviour. Emiko simply shook her head. "Ever since I told you I'd fallen in love with a boy," Daisuke went on emotionlessly to prevent tears, "you knew it was him whom I loved." Silence; that could only mean Emiko wasn't denying the accusation. "Still," resentment was becoming obvious in Daisuke's voice, "you didn't tell me anything.  
  
"All of this time, these past two weeks, I've been eating my head with worry. I barely knew he was alive and yet you didn't say a word. I've cried and screamed, but you thought better to remain quiet. Why? Why did you do this to me?"  
  
"I already told you, Daisuke. He asked me not to say a word."  
  
"That's not enough!" this time, the redhead was shouting. He had reached his limit; he wanted to see Dark, only to slap him for being an uncaring idiot.  
  
"Stop being selfish, Daisuke!" Emiko raised her voice, surprising not only her son but also Daiki and Kosuke that had just entered the room. "Haven't you stopped to think about Dark's feelings? Don't you think that after thousands of years of sharing other people's bodies, views, feelings and thoughts, he deserves a little time for his own?" Actually, he hadn't considered that. Her mother was right, he needed some time for his own, but still... he could have at least let him know he was ok.  
  
"Just look at him, Daisuke," said Emiko while pointing at a sighing Dark on the TV screen. "Does he look happy? He finally has his own body, but he can't enjoy it. He feels empty and that's because of you, because you're not there with him anymore. He feels just as bad as you do."  
  
"I don't think he feels THAT bad..."  
  
"Well, you should think so, because he is." At those words, Daisuke's head snapped up in complete shock. Surely she didn't mean... "What the hell are you doing standing there like an idiot, Daisuke?? They're at the Azumano Hotel, go!"  
  
He didn't have to think about it twice. Without even picking his coat, he run to the door and left, thanking his mother mentally as he let the door swing shut with a thud behind him.  
  
"What on earth was that?" asked Kosuke.  
  
"That was your son running to tell Dark he's in love with him."  
  
The two men went speechless. Daiki just turned his back and practically fled the room, while Kosuke kept his gaze fixed on a spot on the wall in front of him.  
  
"Boys..." Emiko sighed happily as he went to the kitchen to prepare some tea.  
  
-o-  
  
Daisuke arrived to the Azumano Hotel panting heavily and shaking like a feather. This was it, the final opportunity to make things right. His final opportunity to be happy. He was going to tell Dark everything... or at least he was going to slap him as he had told himself he'd do. /Stupid jerk could have at least send me a letter.../ he thought as he walked through the never-ending halls and up and down the several flights of stairs of the building.  
  
/Where is that damned conference room?!/  
  
"Excuse me."  
  
Daisuke turned around flush-faced in anger to see who had tapped on his shoulder. Funabashi, Saga's assistant was standing before him, holding up a plastic card for him to take. "What is this?" he asked.  
  
Funabashi stared at him. "Third floor; second hall to the right; room number 16, the one with a sign that reads 'conference room.' Only authorised people can access the room." With that said, he turned away and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Daisuke wanted to thank him, but seeing that he couldn't find him, decided it would be wiser to simply go that blasted room and find Dark once and for all.  
  
And off he went two floors downstairs, through the second hall to the right until he reached the door to the conference room. Inhaling a calming breath, he pulled it open and walked in. A huge guy with massive muscles that made Daisuke's hairs stand on end asked for his authorisation and examined it. Frowning, not entirely convinced about this boy's ID, he returned the card and let Daisuke walk further into the room.  
  
There were cameras everywhere, people standing, people sitting, people asking, people chatting with the neighbour journalists... it was a mess, in Daisuke's opinion. But he walked further and further through the production teams and the electric cords and the blinding lights... yes, this was like a safari, only without the fun and the potentially murderous animals. The people there weren't any better, though. But finally, he saw it. The large table where Dark was sitting at, between Saga and Satoshi.  
  
Daisuke moved a few more metres further, almost reaching the sitting rows where the journalists were. Standing right in the middle of Dark's line of vision, he just had to wait for him to raise his gaze from the floor. /Come on,/ he repeated over and over, hoping the now ex-thief would listen to him somehow. /Come on, Dark, look up./  
  
Said man sneezed and looked up as he excused himself. Then it happened. Dark stared at Daisuke, his eyes betraying his nervousness and the unexplainable happiness he felt at seeing him there. The boy stared back, unable to do or say anything. Slowly, each pair of eyes in the room had turned to stared at them as if they were watching a tennis match. Left, right, left, right and still no one said anything. That is, of course, until Dark rose from his seat and walked past the tenths of shifting gazes to where Daisuke was standing. Almost nose to nose now, only centimetres separating them, they continued to stare at each other. Neither of them were smiling nor grimacing; they both had mixed feelings of both happiness and terror.  
  
True to himself, Daisuke slapped Dark on his left cheek. The latter had the decency to look petrified. "That was for keeping me on the edge of my seat with worry, when you could have let me know you were alright."  
  
Dark looked at Daisuke as if he'd grown another head. So, that was it; he was mad at him because he didn't told him he was fine... as usual, Dark's attempts of avoiding trouble had only led him to more intricate disasters. It was the least he deserved, he admitted. After all the two had gone through, he should have taken the boy's feelings into consideration. He'd been so selfish...  
  
Dark felt a slight yet strong pressure on his lips. So caught up in his thoughts he'd been that he didn't notice the redhead closing the distance between them in a sealing kiss. "And that," Daisuke finished, as if he'd been lecturing him for hours without Dark even noticing, "was because I love you."  
  
As soon as the words had left his mouth he regretted them. Daisuke went red like a tomato in sunlight, covering his mouth with the back of his hand as if he wanted to erase the bitter taste on his lips. His eyes wide open, shocked at his audacity, he turned to flee the room. Luckily for him, a hand taking grip of his arm stopped him. To Daisuke, it felt like the earth had collided with the sun, but in reality it was just Dark kissing him back...  
  
/Wait... he's... kissing me?/  
  
/.../  
  
/Willingly?/  
  
Dark pulled apart, his face just a little pink in the cheekbones, smiling like a fool with no cares... which was probably what he was at the time. "I love you too, Dai-chan."  
  
Daisuke threw his arms around Dark's shoulders, crying with happiness as the people around them cheered and took lots and lots of pictures for tomorrow's headlines. Dark only kept smiling, too happy and confused at the same time to understand or even care about what was going on outside his and Daisuke's embrace. _Fin._  
  
-o-o-o- _Ahhhhh!!! This is the END!!! I can't believe I actually finished this thing... I loved it, it has been amazing to write it. I mean, I love writing, period, but this story was (not only a pain in the arse but also) really entertaining. Um, about the stuff mentioned in this chapter, I don't own TV Tokyo (though I wish I did) nor Ranma 1/2 (that belongs to the amazing Rumiko Takahashi). And, of course, DNAngel belongs to the goddess of goddesses, the one and only, the bloody brilliant... Yukiru Sugisaki!! Go buy the mangas, they're amazing... Lagoon Engine is really good too and I want to get Megami Kouhosei's (the anime is so cool... the artwork... ah, I love that woman's art). Anyway, got off track. Thanks to my friends for calling me a f-cking pervert, you kept me going!! Thanks to pneumonia and the subsequent month-long winter break. More time to waste, yay!!  
Please, review, people!! Otherwise I'll be a very, VERY sad girl..._


	13. Epilogue: Details

****

Saa, me o tojite._  
Epilogue: Details..._

  
  
The boys were lying on the queen-size bed of their suite. They were still at the Azumano Hotel and that wouldn't be a bad thing if it weren't already three o'clock in the early morning (or late night, who knows). They didn't worry much, though; they were too comfortable to spoil their precious moment with unimportant details.  
  
Daisuke had his hair tousled in every direction imaginable, which looked really cute, in Dark's opinion. He was snuggled so close to the latter that it was hard to tell their bodies apart. The boy had never imagined this situation possible and even when he'd dreamed with this, he couldn't quite believe he was sharing a bed (and a few other things, like body heat) with Dark, the love of his life, as lame as it may sound. He couldn't believe they now were... they were...   
  
"Dark?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"What are we?"  
  
The older boy was silent for a while. He was either pondering on the right answer, or wondering what on Earth his companion was talking about. It was probably the second option.  
  
"Last time I checked, we were both human beings of the male sex."  
  
"Funny, ha-ha," Daisuke drawled lazily. "Seriously, what are we?"  
  
"I don't know," Dark sighed. "But we can be whatever you want us to be."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"A-hap."  
  
"If... I tell you that I want to be your boyfriend?"  
  
"Then that's what you'll be."  
  
"Ah..."  
  
...  
  
"Dark?"  
  
"Yes, Dai-chan?"  
  
"I want us to be boyfriends."  
  
"But that's what we are, Dai-chan."  
  
Daisuke grinned happily; Dark smiled as well, when the boy pecked him on the cheek. A sweet, little gesture that meant the most beautiful things in the world to someone like him. Someone who had kissed on countless occasions but had never felt anything. Someone who had always been either feared or venerated, but had never been loved. To him, a mere peck on the cheek from the one he loved, meant everything.  
  
Daisuke had fallen asleep. His bangs were covering his eyes, messily; Dark could lose himself in the highlights of each strand. Softly brushing the fringe away from Daisuke's eyes, he whispered to the sleeping form; "I love you, Daisuke..."  
  
"...but you're the only who had ever loved me back."  
  
"I'm not asleep yet, you know?" Daisuke's sleepy voice startled him slightly. Snickering to himself, he told him, in a mockingly commanding tone:  
  
"Saa, me o tojite."  
  
_fin._  
  
-o-o-o- _Well, that's it. No more SMOT. Don't miss me, though, I'll be back. By the way, for those of you who don't remember: Saa, me o tojite means "_So, close your eyes."_  
I'll see you soon in my next DNAngel fic (cough Aoi cough check it out next week cough). Yay! Please review this pathetic excuse for an epilogue!!  
Also, thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed the past chapters and supported this piece of shit I dared call a story. Thank you, I shall worship you endlessly from now on._


End file.
